The Lucaya Project 2016
by moonswirl
Summary: Daily short prompts project, running January 1-December 31, all centered around Lucas & Maya.
1. Day 001 Jan 1st - Influence

**THE LUCAYA PROJECT 2016**  
 _by mooners_  
 _(bronze-and-blue on tumblr)_

 _There are 230 words in my bowl of silliness, words that call on our favorite Blonde Beauty and her Huckleberry. Every morning (or most mornings, ha, will explain shortly), one will be picked out. For each of these words, a story will be written, in my handy dandy new daily planner. It will only fill the length of that page, except when the prompt calls for a story to run over more than one day. I will post them every morning, and I hope you enjoy them! Happy New Year!_

 _[As each story will be so very short (200-ish words), they will be uploaded as chapters to this story, not individually, so all you have to do to follow this project is follow this story!]_

 _[Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my feels.]_

* * *

 **DAY ONE**  
 **JANUARY 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Influence" _[one day]_

They saw it in little things, whether or not they would ever come to say it: maybe it was easier to show it. They showed it with attention, and knowledge. They showed it with looks, and smiles, and quiet. People change people. If that was the secret of life, then maybe they still had a lot to learn; it wasn't always about lessons taught in a classroom.

Sometimes it was all about a feeling. It grew, out of nothing, out of chaos and hopelessness, and it grew, and grew, until it was all over, touching every part of you. It manifested in the instants they saw one another, yes, but it did some of its best work when they were apart, and the memory of the other could mean the difference between sinking or rising.

And sometimes it was never so clear as wehn they stood facing each other, on the promise of sudden newness, a blank slate to fill as they chose. Maybe in secret hearts, a wish could be made, that this feeling be allowed to carry on, and keep growing, keeping holding them and changing them, into the New Year about to begin.

"It's one minute until midnight, and I'm glad you're standing here."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	2. Day 002 Jan 2nd - Feeling 1

**DAY TWO**  
 **JANUARY 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Feeling" _[two days]_  
 _Part 1 of 2_

It wasn't something he was used to. He had never needed to stop and think about anything like this, and now that he did, he was more confused than he had ever been. All because of words, blurted out around a campfire. Now with the day done, with nothing around him to distract him but the memory... the memory...

He remembered those seconds, looking into her eyes, her face cradled in his hands... She had looked to him like a brand new person, but at the same time... maybe someone he had already known, somehow. It had been too much, he didn't know how to proceed, so he'd let go. Even then, the feeling continued to vibrate in him, like a heat wave. How were they ever supposed to know, how was he...

But it was her, and she had been something to him since he'd moved to New York, something... a friend, yes, a pain at times, oh yes, but... She scared him, he had known that, but it was slowly dawning on him there could be so many ways for something - or someone - to be scary, and not all of them had to be bad. Scary could only mean new, and different, and confusing, but that was a lot like life. Life didn't stay scary, so maybe now he was finding out she was a fear worth conquering.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	3. Day 003 Jan 3rd - Feeling 2

**DAY THREE**  
 **JANUARY 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Feeling" _[two days]_  
 _Part 2 of 2_

She had tried so hard to push it away, to not so much as think about him that way. She had gotten behind her best friend, supported and incited her to go toward him, never quite realizing the weight of that action on her own self until it was too late.

Some days she wished he hadn't been... him. If he hadn't been, then maybe she could have been fine, untouched, no conflict. She had certainly tried to convince herself that this was exactly what he was, but then he'd had to go and be in that stupid rodeo. Fine, she'd signed him up, but he could have backed out... No, he wouldn't... All it had taken had been for her to understand exactly the kind of danger he was in, and suddenly it was as though the blinds had been yanked off her eyes, freeing her of denial, the better to plead with him.

It filled her with so much fear, she couldn't watch. Sitting there, all on her own, she felt so many things, too many. How was she supposed to carry on like this? Why couldn't she keep ignoring it all, the way she was supposed to? This would make a mess, this would change everything, and she didn't want it. She wanted everything to stay the same, she needed it... never so much as she needed him to be okay.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	4. Day 004 Jan 4th - Cute

**DAY FOUR**  
 **JANUARY 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Cute" _[one day]_

Maya had not forgotten the boy on the subway. To be honest, she hadn't been able to get him off her mind (not that she could have, as Riley hadn't stopped bringing him back up). But then it wasn't as though he was the first random cute boy she'd seen out there, so what was the big deal about him... except that, for her not having let him get a word in, she couldn't help but wonder about who he was.

There'd been something in his eyes when she'd spoken to him (or _at_ him), the way he'd looked back at her... But it wasn't important anymore, nor would it be. She'd given up the chance to find out in favor of her best friend experiencing this, and then they had gone on their merry way off to school for one more day of the same. Never had she expected for this morning encounter to become much of anything.

And then it had happened. Cute subway boy had walked into Mr. Matthews' class, _her_ class. His name was Lucas, and he would be one of them. She could feel Riley's brain imploding at the thought, while she... well, she didn't know what to make of it either except to carry on like it was any other day, even though it was clear it would never be again. He was here, and she was intrigued.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	5. Day 005 Jan 5th - Art 1

**DAY FIVE**  
 **JANUARY 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Art" _[three days]_  
 _part 1 of 3_

He caught her looking at it every day, more than once now today. It wasn't as though it was the only canvas on the wall, not by far, but this was the one that caught her eye and her attention, and now even he had gone and developed a habit, not to watch it but to watch her watching it. He had to smile, seeing how enthralled she could be with it. But then she was only five years old, so it was all to her own imagination what she found so intriguing about this one painting.

One day he would tell her all about it, if she asked, but until then... He wanted her to keep staring, as long as she wanted, keep letting her mind be filled by whatever it inspired in her. That was what they had taught their little girl, what they still taught her every day. They had fought for creativity, and as creations went, she just might have been the greatest.

It would be, as it turned out, that exact day, when she would turn and see him there, and she would point one finger up to the canvas on the wall with questions in her eyes. So he would go, and pick her up so she could see it closer, and he would tell her all about the painting.

"Do you know, this was the first thing we put on this wall?"

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	6. Day 006 Jan 6th - Art 2

**DAY SIX**  
 **JANUARY 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Art" [three days]  
part 2 of 3

It had finally come, after weeks of searching, and packing, and just a hint of nerves, they had done it. They had moved into the new apartment, their first one, together. There were boxes everywhere, marked in both their hands, and already they knew it would be a mess, having to sort out two lives into one, but they were ready and willing. They wanted their two lives to be one.

It was her who opened the box. She found it nestled between two tall books, the better to protect it, she'd realize, but even so she'd recognized it from the paint splashed on the side. She pulled it out and stared at it in what could only be awe, with a hint of pride.

"Let's hang it here," he'd say, when he'd find her staring at it. She would try to act cool about it, but finding the canvas here, on today of all days, it filled her with so much emotion, simply too much to contain.

"I can't believe you kept it," she'd tell him, and he'd give that good old smile she loved, the one that'd say 'of course I did, why wouldn't I?' And he'd be true to his words. A chaos of boxes and unmade furniture all around, and all they'd achieved so far was a nail in the wall, to hang up a years-old painting.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	7. Day 007 Jan 7th - Art 3

**DAY SEVEN**  
 **JANUARY 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Art" _[three days]_  
 _part 3 of 3_

She'd waited until the others had gone off to class before finding him. At first she had thought to slip it into his locker (she'd spied his combination ages ago), but then she changed her mind. If this was going to be what it was, then she wanted to hand it to him personally. He saw her coming, and he stopped. Could he sense how nervous she felt, how awkward? This was so beyond her. She walked up to him, pulling out the wrapped thing from her bag; it had barely fit.

"What's this?" he asked, turning it over in his hands before starting to unwrap it.

"Look, don't be weird about it, I just... I wanted to say... thanks..." He pulled the painting from its wrapping. Did he like it?

"Woah... Maya, you painted this for me?"

"To say thank you," she repeated, as though it was very important he remembered this. "You stood up for me, when they were going to take art class away, and that really meant... a lot. I just wanted you to know how much. Look, like I said, it's no big deal, and you shouldn't make it one. You don't even have to keep it," she started to back off, meaning to leave.

"Oh, I'm keeping this," he told her, and seeing the smile on his face as he looked at her work, Maya felt a tiny thrill floating through her heart.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	8. Day 008 Jan 8th - Gym

**DAY EIGHT**  
 **JANUARY 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Gym" _[one day]_

He knew how worked up she tended to get in gym class, a competitive edge as sharp as anything, and he liked that; he kind of had one, too. Well maybe more than kind of. The way he saw it, he had to make sure that, if teams were picked, she'd be on his team, or there'd be next to no chance for him. Today, luck was not on his side. He was one captain, and she was the other - and she got first pick. She was a shark, snatching up all the best pieces, and she did it with a smile on her face, which only threw him off even more.

"What's the matter, Huckleberry?" she asked, trailing up to him when the picking was over. "Are you scared?" she wondered aloud, putting on a small frightened voice.

"No," he scoffed, keeping his gaze straight, and thus well over her head. She was still staring at him, he knew, and the call was too strong; he had to look back down. "If anyone should be scared, it's you..." he tried to come up with a better comeback, and it frustrated him to realize he had nothing, none more than when he saw her realize it, too. "Oh, come on, don't..."

"Well... This is gonna be fun," she tapped him on the arm before running off to her team. He frowned, trying to shake her off as he did the same. They were toast.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	9. Day 009 Jan 9th - Ride

**DAY NINE**  
 **JANUARY 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Ride" _[one day]_

In her dream, it was her he had taken up on that horse. She'd swung up there, holding to the back of him, and they had gone off on a ride together. Not a gentle trot but a crashing run, wind in her hair and everything. She recalled it as being so exhilarating, so freeing, and then... she woke up, and she realized it had all been a dream, not real at all.

In the waking world, she had to remember she had not been the one to ride off on that white horse with him, but was that really what she'd gotten caught up on?

No, the thing that had caught her off guard was the dream itself. Why was she dreaming about... him... like some kind of fairytale prince. She was so not the fairytale girl in all this, not by a long shot. But it was a dream, right? And dreams were all about the make believe. What could there be, more pretend than her, being carried away by Lucas Friar on a white horse? That could never be, would never... What did he even see when he looked at her, why would he even...

It was just a dream, a stupid dream. She would just turn over in her bed, close her eyes, and dream of something else, or nothing at all. Yeah, that could be good.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	10. Day 010 Jan 10th - Loud

**DAY TEN**  
 **JANUARY 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Loud" _[one day]_

The first time she got right up in his face and unleashed her loud call on him, it took him by surprise, that and the expression on her face. He was surprised, but also... He remembered it now as having been the kind of surprise that left you feeling just sort of inexplicably happy, alive, like he'd been startled awake.

There had been other times, again and again, until it became kind of a thing with them. Much as he'd protest, looking back now, he knew he would have missed out on something if she'd stopped, right down to the one time he'd put a stopper to the loud call, the first time she'd come down to Texas, that night at the campfire.

After that night, she'd resisted the call, he could tell; it took her back to that moment, and she was as confused as he was, wasn't she?

It was a passing moment. Because in time they wouldn't be so confused. In time they would know, and they would no longer be afraid. In time she would return, no longer hesitant, and he would be ready, too. And like the very first time, he would smile at her, and she would smile at him, and they would take a step in the right direction. He remembered it now as he always would.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	11. Day 011 Jan 11th - Whole

_A/N: Dear 'Guest' reviewer, as to the length of the installments, as I explained with the very first one, these are meant to be the length of a single page in my daily planner, one for each day. The whole (ha) point of this project is that they are short. Now in the future I do intend on writing full out stories, for Lucaya, and for GMW as a whole, I just haven't gotten there yet. In the meantime, I hope you continue to enjoy the project! :)_

* * *

 **DAY ELEVEN**  
 **JANUARY 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Whole" _[one day]_

The more she saw the days go by, and he was there with her, she felt like she had changed. She felt stronger, a more complete person. Some of it was Lucas himself, but she would never see it as just that, like she'd somehow needed a boy in her life to make her feel this. Instead, it had gotten to feel like... her life was changing, and he was there right as it was happening.

Had things been different, had she not been changing right at this time, she could have missed out, missed her chance. She had not missed out, and again some of that credit did go to him, couldn't be denied. He had been in no way what she had expected, and if he never stopped surprising her that way, she would be just fine.

Now that he was here, in her life the way he was, it felt as frightening as it could be thrilling. What if he wasn't in her life anymore, one way or the other. She worried, sometimes, what this shiny new sensation taking hold in her would become if one of its pillars got taken away. Would she go on standing, or would she tumble down, like so many broken pieces of the little girl she had once been?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	12. Day 012 Jan 12th - Broken 1

_A/N: Woah, what are the odds that I would pick 'Broken' from the bowl the morning after picking 'Whole' ;)_

* * *

 **DAY TWELVE**  
 **JANUARY 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Broken" _[three days]_  
 _part 1 of 3_

Lucas remembered the look on her face, as Riley had marked her forehead with the word. He hadn't been able to forget. Much as she'd allowed her to do it, she'd looked for a moment like she was afraid. The words were meant to represent something, and it did, for all of them, but in Maya's case it felt like that one word held so much more weight. He knew there were parts of her life she didn't talk about with anyone other than Riley, and he respected and understood that, except... Well, they were friends, weren't they? For all the teasing and joking around, she had been there for him, and he felt he should do the same for her.

"Maya, wait, hold up," he called as he hurried and caught up to her in the hall after class. She turned and faced him, eyes going to his forehead. Was some of his word still there? Didn't matter. "Can we talk?"

"That's what we're doing, isn't it?" she shrugged, but then frowned and turned to leave.

"Maya, please, I only want to talk about..."

"I know what you want to talk about, and it is not happening," she kept going. He followed.

"We're friends, aren't we?" And she stalled. "Friends should be able to talk to each other. So why can't we?" She looked like she wanted to throw a comeback at him, but she couldn't. "Whatever you want to say, I... I'll listen."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	13. Day 013 Jan 13th - Broken 2

**DAY THIRTEEN**  
 **JANUARY 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Broken" _[three days]_  
 _part 2 of 3_

She didn't know what had gotten into her, what had made her go and tell him everything she had said. But she had said it, and now he knew, and now... What would he do with that? It wasn't as though she expected him to go and blab her secrets to the whole school, on that point she knew Lucas Friar better than that. But... He knew these things about her now, about her family, her father, her life. She had looked at him, and she'd started talking, and she just had not stopped for so long, without really realizing, until she stopped, and there it was. She'd looked at him, sort of shocked, and she'd given him a good glare.

"If you say any of what I told..."

"I won't," he vowed, and it struck her that she knew without a doubt he was telling her the truth. He had her secrets and would keep them, like the friend that he was.

So why did it still worry her so much that he knew, why had she hurried off as soon as she had his word? She guessed it was the same as it ever was. She could put on the bravest face she wanted, but once she pointed out the cracks to anyone, what was to stop them from only seeing those cracks and not her self as a whole? She didn't want them looking at her like that... and she didn't want him to either.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	14. Day 014 Jan 14th - Broken 3

**DAY FOURTEEN**  
 **JANUARY 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Broken" _[three days]_  
 _part 3 of 3_

He could feel the tension in her, the day Mr. Matthews gave the assignment, just the slightest shift he might not have noticed if not for what she'd told him way back then... It felt like forever ago now. And he'd encouraged her to do something about it, he had, only now...

As she read aloud the words she'd sent her father, he remembered the ones she had told him. Every one word in that letter was like fifty more in his head, must have been a thousand in hers. He knew what it had taken for her to share with him, so that she was now willing to let their entire class hear even a slice of it... When she was done, he didn't even have to think about it twice. He reached out his hand and put it on her shoulder.

In silence, he could tell her. He could say he knew how hard that must have been, or at least he could imagine. He could tell her he was there for her, as he had been since the beginning, if she still had things to say and she needed someone to listen. He could tell her he was her friend, that he cared... And when she acknowledged it, it was a subtle recognition. She knew. She understood and she appreciated. And it was still so much, so many pieces of herself shifting, turning, and they had yet to settle and reassemble. Whatever happened, he'd be there.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	15. Day 015 Jan 15th - Growing

**DAY FIFTEEN**  
 **JANUARY 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Growing" _[one day]_

Graduation was coming. Sure, it was only taking them out of middle school, but it was supposed to show that they were moving forward, that they were growing. Maya would joke how she wasn't doing much of that now, but deep down, she knew what it really meant, of course she did.

And she had grown, they all had. They were not the same people they had been two years ago, not even close. For some it was more glaring than others, and for herself... She could say there were a number of areas where she had grown, while in others, in areas that all seemed to flash a winning Texas smile... she was a mess. So what was she supposed to do about it? Could she close her eyes, step forward, and hope for the best?

Riley could do that. But her... Hope was still a new, fragile thing for her to hold. She wanted to move forward, she wanted to grow. Only she didn't know what she would or should grow into. Maybe when she'd be standing on the other side, all fully formed, it would be some part of her life she'd look back on fondly, but from where she was standing now... it didn't inspire fondness so much as insecurity.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	16. Day 016 Jan 16th - Unknown

**DAY SIXTEEN**  
 **JANUARY 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Unknown" _[one day]_

They'd sat on that bench, sort of dumbstruck, until Mr. & Mrs. Matthews had come up to find them. In little to no time Maya had excused herself and made her exit. Lucas had wanted to follow her, if for nothing else than so that she wouldn't be out on the streets on her own after midnight. But if he went so quick, he might only confuse matters more, wouldn't he?

In the end, Mr. Matthews had gone to accompany her, and shortly thereafter, Lucas had found himself being accompanied by Mrs. Matthews of all people. He didn't say a word the whole time; his mind was still on that bench. A new year had begun, and it had never seemed so... blank, unknowable.

What would they become, in the time until that ball dropped again? He remembered looking forward to what previous years would bring, but now... all he could see was this growing situation, with the two of them sat on either side of him. He knew that, no matter what happened, he would hurt someone, and not just any someone... one of his best friends. Would that other friend still be his friend when this year ended? All he wanted was to neither hurt nor lose anyone for the sake of his heart.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	17. Day 017 Jan 17th - Help

**DAY SEVENTEEN**  
 **JANUARY 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Help" _[one day]_

"What are you doing here?"

She'd startled at the sound of his voice. Part of that had been because it was him, but if anyone asked, she would blame it on the otherwise silent work she'd been doing, cleaning and organizing the beakers and other instruments in the lab. "I caught the Farkles and I'm way into science now," she sighed, turning back.

"So, detention," he guessed. "What'd you do n... not... not that it's any of my..." he tried to correct himself under her glare before stepping up. "Need a hand?"

"Is Lucas the Good going to help me escape my punishment?" she put on a scandalized air, all the while handing him the beaker she had been cleaning. "I won't tell if you don't."

She could easily have taken this as her cue to sit and let him do it all, but instead she continued and they worked together, cutting the time it would take them both to be free of this place. There was a close call, at which point he'd had to duck out of sight when the janitor had passed by, but eventually they were done, and they sat side by side on the ground, tired and wrinkle handed.

Either way, Maya was happy for it; the task hadn't been so bad with him there, and whether or not she knew how to say it, she was about certain he knew she meant it.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	18. Day 018 Jan 18th - Tangle

**DAY EIGHTEEN**  
 **JANUARY 18TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Tangle" _[one day]_

It happened every so often, especially with her, if either of them were honest, that she would start to get carried away, and he... well, as he'd put it, he took it upon himself to 'control her.' He was not afraid to put himself in her way, or to physically stop her from doing what stupid, impulsive thing she was about to. The crazy thing, and the one that both baffled and frustrated her the most was that it worked.

The moment he had his hand on her, all the fight went out of her, and she would be left standing or sitting quietly, trying to understand what it was she had just felt. It should have annoyed her, at least a little, but she knew it didn't. She knew she was better off for it. One day he might not be there to stop her, and then what? Experience already showed the self-control didn't come from her. One day she'd get in a tangle, and he would not be there and...

Maybe it wouldn't be that way, maybe he'd done enough already that she would imagine him there, working her down her impulse the way he did... Did she really even want to know? It wasn't something she was dying to find out. And even without that, she hadn't quite forgotten... that feeling she got, in the pit of her stomach, like a flutter of flames...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	19. Day 019 Jan 19th - Reveal 1

**DAY NINETEEN**  
 **JANUARY 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Reveal" _[two days]_  
 _part 1 of 2_

One day she would be able to look back on this one moment in her life and know it had been the beginning of something, the day she had looked Lucas Friar in the eye and told him how she felt about him. She would remember how that instant had been much more of a release than what it had felt like at the time, which had been 'my heart is about to implode if you don't say you feel it, too.'

It had been the greatest risk she'd felt she had ever taken, as though she had handed him a weapon and made a bullseye of herself. But he had not destroyed her: he had looked back at her and shown she held the same weapon in her hands. That day, they had not destroyed one another but rather showed that they would forever dedicate themselves to making sure no one ever so much as nicked the other, if they could be so lucky.

Looking back now, she could appreciate every last twist and turn they faced to get from there to here, all because they'd found it in them to speak the truth. Hard as it had been, she knew now that it had needed to be that hard, that if something meant so much, it could never be easy to show those hidden treasures.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	20. Day 020 Jan 20th - Reveal 2

**DAY TWENTY**  
 **JANUARY 20TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Reveal" _[two days]_  
 _part 2 of 2_

He could never forget that time. He remembered the confusion that had him in its grasp for so long before he understood just how he fell for her. She'd been right in front of him all along, she was just... Maya Hart, his friend who liked to give him nicknames and play games. Then suddenly she was more than that, and he hadn't seen it coming.

But in time he had known, and after a while he'd gotten it in him to tell her... because she'd told him she felt those same things for him. Remembering that day had never failed to bring a smile to his face. It had felt like the scariest thing before he had actually said it, but once he had, he couldn't understand what had been all that hard. he had feelings for her, and she for him... How much luckier could they get?

It wasn't going to be smooth sailing, and they'd still have plenty to learn, but maybe the best part of that was that by the end of the struggle they could stop, and look at each other, and remember why they were doing it. And they would always be the better for it. That day, when they had been honest, that had been the beginning of something, a story without end.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	21. Day 021 Jan 21st - Smile 1

**DAY TWENTY-ONE**  
 **JANUARY 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Smile" _[four days]_  
 _part 1 of 4_

He'd been delayed joining the others for lunch. By the time he'd come to stand in line with his tray, they were already sat around their table, eating and talking. He was advancing when his attention was drawn by the sound of a laugh cutting across the room.

Maya. Whatever she was telling them, it seemed everyone found it funny, none more than her, so animated and alive, and he just smiled. He couldn't help it, but more than that, he couldn't stop or look away. It had taken someone behind him nudging him forward to break the spell, and even so he was stuck moving along with confusion, unsure of what had just happened.

So he'd smiled, so what? He smiled all the time, at any number of things his friends said or did. So why did it feel different now? With her? Now? He went through the motions, getting his lunch before heading to join the table, and as he neared them he was glad he had time to sit and be spoken to before she had a chance to look up and notice he'd arrived. In a second, they were all asking what had taken so long and he could put the rest behind him.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	22. Day 022 Jan 22nd - Smile 2

**DAY TWENTY-TWO**  
 **JANUARY 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Smile" _[four days]_  
 _part 2 of 4_

Something was up with Lucas. She didn't know what, but she knew she wanted to find out. He had been acting strange all afternoon, none more than when she'd speak to him, which could only mean one thing: he was planning something and he knew she'd find out what it was.

That only made her more intrigued. She could do with a good scheme to entertain her for the rest of this boring school week, and she had half a mind to be insulted he hadn't involved her of all people. It had to be intentional, meaning she would be on the receiving end of that scheme. No, oh no, not in her school. Poor Huckleberry was going to have to learn his lesson, yes. And soon he would understand what happened to sneaky rangers. If he was uncomfortable before, wait until she was through with him...

In her head, she could hear equal parts maniacal cackling and reprimands that sounded a whole lot like Riley. Fine. So first she would speak to him, see what he had to say for himself, and if she didn't like his answer, well... then she would just have to give him all she had. That could almost be just as fun as any plain old scheme, couldn't it?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	23. Day 023 Jan 23rd - Smile 3

**DAY TWENTY-THREE**  
 **JANUARY 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Smile" _[four days]_  
 _part 3 of 4_

He'd made up his mind to apologize to her for acting so weird. He knew she had noticed, and he felt he owed her as much. He still wasn't too sure what he would say to her, but maybe he'd come up with something once she was there, right? He knew he couldn't cop to the truth, so this was all he had to...

He stopped short of running into her. They stood there for a moment before starting to talk both at once. She silenced them both.

"Go," she nodded.

"I know I've been off, and I know you know. I wanted to say sorry... for being weird." She was taken aback, almost cheated. Whatever she'd meant to say, he had a feeling he'd never find out what it was.

"I don't know if weird would be the word, but I'll take it," she told him.

"What, yo don't think I can be weird?" he asked, like all at once he was himself again, smirking down at her. She blinked, but then she smiled, breathed out.

"Oh, no, I know you're a regular weirdo," she promised him, then, still smiling, she seemed to get distracted before looking back at him. "I have to go."

Just like that, she was gone, and the 'incident,' small as it felt now, was over, as far as he figured it.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	24. Day 024 Jan 24th - Smile 4

**DAY TWENTY-FOUR**  
 **JANUARY 24TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Smile" _[four days]_  
 _part 4 of 4_

She had no idea what had just happened. They'd talked, and he... he had both disarmed her and made her feel a joy of a moment. Even now, she still felt it, up to the corners of her mouth, which couldn't seem to find the way back down. It wasn't even the first time this happened though, was it? It just kept coming, with him and her, and more and more as time passed, if she was honest.

She wasn't stupid, she could take a wild guess at what it was, but... she couldn't bring herself to do it. There was just so much more to it than a smile, and even that... There was more, because she didn't know where he stood, didn't even know really where she stood herself, and then there were other people involved in this, weren't there? And on the other side...

There was more, because it wasn't just a smile, it was a feeling, several feelings... There was the thing that happened when he was around, or even in his absence... There was everything he had given her, whether he realized it or not. If he knew how much it meant to her, that he was in her life, the way he was... He might have known, but she doubted he did; either way, she wouldn't be the one to tell him.

A smile... Oh, so much more.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	25. Day 025 Jan 25th - Kind 1

_A/N: Finish a four-day prompt, end up picking another four-day prompt right after *facepalm* Oh, bowl, you weirdo... ;)_

* * *

 **DAY TWENTY-FIVE**  
 **JANUARY 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Kind" _[four days]_  
 _part 1 of 4_

The class had barely stopped groaning over the latest project when Mr. Matthews had called out teams. "Hart. Friar." Just like that, they were bound. After class, they had decided to work on their assignment over at Maya's. They headed there after school and had only just stepped into her room when Maya was called over by a neighbor, leaving him on his own to wait.

He wasn't going to look through her things, even though he was sure she'd done it when she had been over to his house, so he'd taken a seat on the ground, back to the bed, and pulled out his books to get started. It was only from this vantage point that he was able to see a piece of paper sticking out from behind her dresser, as though it had fallen there. Never giving it much thought, he crawled over to pick it up and found that it was a drawing, one of Maya's.

It was a drawing of him. He looked like some knight, with a golden air about him. At the bottom, she had traced out the words: Lucas the Good. 'I'm already making t-shirts,' he heard her voice in his head. This was no shirt, and thank goodness for that. And yet...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	26. Day 026 Jan 26th - Kind 2

**DAY TWENTY-SIX**  
 **JANUARY 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Kind" _[four days]_  
 _part 2 of 4_

Sitting on the floor of Maya's room, he held the sheet in his hands, the drawing that she had made of him, or at least of some version of him. This was what she saw when she looked at him, or at least what she thought he looked like to the world. He couldn't figure out if this was good or not, if it meant she liked that about him or if she was making fun of him. He kept on looking, waiting to find the answer.

She really was a talented artist, and it was in no way overdone. He didn't look ridiculous. He looked like a white knight on a horse. He looked strong, and not at all mean, no, not Lucas the Good. He was shining. So at one time, Maya had sat and drawn him like this, and judging from where he had found the sheet, he had to imagine it had been on display for some time, before it had fallen behind her dresser. It had stayed there since, forgotten, left to collect dust, which only confused him more.

"Hey, sorry that took a while, I..."

He scrambled to put the sheet back, realizing he might not have been meant to see this, but when Maya walked in, she found him there, on his knees, arm outstretched and drawing in hand. He looked up at her, just as she reached down and took the sheet from him.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	27. Day 027 Jan 27th - Kind 3

**DAY TWENTY-SEVEN**  
 **JANUARY 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Kind" _[four days]_  
 _part 3 of 4_

She kept on staring at him like she expected him to say something. He got up. "Hey, so I... found that... It was behind your dresser, I didn't know it was..."

"'It was' what?" she shrugged, overly casual as she moved to stick the sheet in a drawer. "It's just a drawing."

"Yeah, a drawing of me. Lucas the Good?" he stared her down. "I have so many questions right now." She wasn't thrown.

"You get one," she declared, taking a seat on her bed, straightbacked like a queen on a throne. He frowned, thinking.

"Okay. One question, one... Why was Lucas the Good on display?" he pointed to the dresser. "It had to be, right?"

"Don't flatter yourself," she chuckled, but after a moment she sighed and shrugged. "I liked how it turned out, and I liked what it represented, that's all."

He gave a look he hoped would mean 'what did it represent?'; he was near certain she would have docked him for voicing a second question. Watching her react, he knew she'd understood what he was getting at, and it was giving her pause. So he went and sat next to her. It might have seemed a bold move, but he didn't think she'd misinterpret it. Instead she turned to him.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	28. Day 028 Jan 28th - Kind 4

**DAY TWENTY-EIGHT**  
 **JANUARY 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Kind" _[four days]_  
 _part 4 of 4_

If it had been up to her, she would have kept her drawing to herself, he could guess from the hesitation in her eyes. But now it looked as though she had made up her mind to speak up.

"You're a good guy, that's all," she shrugged. "I know I joke about it half the time, which is all the time actually. But you really are that guy. Good, kind..."

"Isn't that the same thing?" he smiled.

"It is," she agreed, slowly nodding. "I think... most people would be better off having someone like you in their lives. I know I am," she shrugged, to indicate it was no big deal, or that it should at least be treated as such. "Now can we do this assignment?"

"Okay, yeah," he moved back to the ground to pick up his books. "And... thanks," he added, at his own peril. He was only half surprised when he felt her socked foot giving his shoulder a slight nudge. "You coming down here, or what?" he replied, and finally she came down with her school bag and they got started. They worked for a while before he had a thought that made him stop and chuckle.

"What?" she asked.

"Lucas the Good... I found _your_ name. Maya the..." He hesitated, seeing the look on her face. "Bold," he decided. She considered it; he could see her smile through her hair.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	29. Day 029 Jan 29th - Confusion

**DAY TWENTY-NINE**  
 **JANUARY 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Confusion" _[one day]_

Looking at the pair of them sat side by side, a stranger might not have known just what thoughts had them in such a state. But even the most remote of strangers would have recognized the overwhelming state of confusion which had befallen them.

It had all seemed much simpler before, when no one had said a word and all they had to worry about were their own thoughts, which were just that, their thoughts, no one else's, no one's to consider, or reply to, or react to in any way. Before they were just Maya and Lucas, but now sitting on this couch, what were they?

Neither of them seemed to know, so how were they supposed to figure it out? A date... hardly anything they were used to, but then no one was talking, so what did they expect? But... But...

Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe the reason it was harder was because it meant something more to them now, because they just didn't want to screw it up. This could be it, yes. They were both as nervous as they were confused. That was it.

But she needed him to say something. She needed it so much now that she could barely take it anymore. She needed to know they were in this together.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	30. Day 030 Jan 30th - Name 1

**DAY THIRTY**  
 **JANUARY 30TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Name" _[five days]_  
 _part 1 of 5_

Breakfast at their house had become the favorite part of their day even before their daughter joined the table, but from the day she had joined them, it had all become so much more. Now she was five years old, and they could have spent hours watching her as she eagerly worked to finish her plate, listening as she told them about her dreams, or what she was excited for on any given day.

They knew she absorbed the world around her with that same excitement and ease, and for that they knew: they had to be careful what they said around her, because she _would_ repeat it if she found it remotely interesting. It had shown, at least in one way, with how Maya had done her best to control herself and call him by his name in front of her. All those years had gone by, and she still couldn't help herself sometimes.

She would look at him, and she would see that same boy she had met in middle school, and that same feeling would creep up inside her. They could be eighty years old, and he would always be that boy who'd smiled at her the moment she'd stood in front of him. He would always be her Huckleberry, her Ranger Rick - or Roy - and any of the other names she had given him, back when she could never have imagined them being here now.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	31. Day 031 Jan 31st - Name 2

**DAY THIRTY-ONE**  
 **JANUARY 31ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Name" _[five days]_  
 _part 2 of 5_

Far back as they'd known each other, it had been there. She would look at him, and he was those names. It was to the point that, upon calling him by his true name, she had left him shocked. Calling him by his own name had become like a signal. It said 'this moment is almost as important as you are and you have to know it.'

But her nicknames for him were just as valuable, or they felt it to her. She did not call him those things to tease him or insult him. She looked at him, and he was all those things. And those things... They made her happy. Had she been a kid riddled with nightmares, he would be the thing to come and send them away. It was all part of their game, whether or not either of them had any real understanding as to what that game actually was.

They could be thirteen or fourteen and it would be true. Or they could be older, and their world so changed, so different, and she'd know exactly what to call him to get a smile out of him. One day, he'd come through the door, and she'd greet him as Pops, and she would never forget the way his face had lit up. Years and years, and they would always have this, always theirs, always part of the game.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	32. Day 032 Feb 1st - Name 3

**DAY THIRTY-TWO**  
 **FEBRUARY 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Name" _[five days]_  
 _part 3 of 5_

Before their daughter would come to join their family as well as their table for any and all meals, breakfast or otherwise, she had been a small thing in her belly, growing by the day. Waiting on her arrival was an ordeal in and of itself, but somehow it never felt as real as when they had started to think of what to name her - or him, as far as they'd known back then. She would be real, a person in her own right, and to choose what name would precede her throughout her life had become the first of many decisions.

Both of them had declared firmly that they would know the moment they held her, a sentiment which only lasted so long before they were both busted for having acquired baby name books of their own. She had let him have it, the only way she ever did, while he had stood there staring at her, his small statured wife pacing in front of him, led by a rounded bump... and he'd only smiled, waiting for her to stop before he could bust her right back.

After that, they had found that while they had been covertly seeking their child's name, their choices had not been so distant from one another's. And the day she had been born, they saw with their own eyes, they had chosen well.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	33. Day 033 Feb 2nd - Name 4

**DAY THIRTY-THREE**  
 **FEBRUARY 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Name" _[five days]_  
 _part 4 of 5_

He could only vaguely recall a time when her nicknames for him had bothered him. He remembered feeling in some way startled by it, though in time he'd realized it wasn't about the nicknames but about her. It was Maya who startled him, caused a reaction in him, and it would be yet longer before he could put a true name to that reaction.

He didn't feel the change come, but in time - one a deal shorter than he could claim, he had reached a point where he expected the names, so much so that he couldn't react naturally to her calling him Lucas. And if there was a next stage to all this, then it would be the one where he could not bear not to hear her call him any one of those names for too long. They had become a mark of what they were when they were together.

With years, his own name had become imbued with unspoken words, with new meaning. It was reserved for the best of times or the worst ones, for clarity and for intent. Now _her_ name, well... He had tried nicknames before and had soon learned it was better not to try. She was Maya, and he could not want her to be anything else at all. Just Maya, just his Maya...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	34. Day 034 Feb 3rd - Name 5

**DAY THIRTY-FOUR**  
 **FEBRUARY 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Name" _[five days]_  
 _part 5 of 5_

Sitting at the table, their little girl felt a giant for her dangling short legs. It had been five years... five whole years and a bit more of another, and surely it had to be a trick, to have her grow so fast before their eyes. Had it been so long since she had been put into their arms, since she had opened her eyes and looked at them and they had known her name was really hers?

Emily, they'd called her. Emily Kathryn Friar, though more often than not they called her Emmy. She could have her father's calming presence a lot of the time, but there was never any doubt - beyond how she was the spitting image - that she had Maya Hart as her mother. There was that twinkle, always in her eyes, such as on that morning when she looked to her father, quietly observing him for a minute before tapping his arm to get his attention.

"Yes?" he asked, and at her wave, he leaned in closer to get eye to eye with her. A smile of mischief took hold, and she snuck a look to her mother before turning back to him, giddiness spilling over.

"Daddy, what's a Hockeyberry?" she asked, and he sat back as Maya nearly choked on her juice, laughing in surprise. Lucas could only smile; so much for restraint. The names were here to stay.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	35. Day 035 Feb 4th - Great

**DAY THIRTY-FIVE**  
 **FEBRUARY 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Great" _[one day]_

It would have been so much easier if he'd been an idiot. But he wasn't, of course not. Lucas Friar was like some golden boy, who would make any parent glad to have him around their daughter... once they were all a little older, if Mr. Matthews was any indication.

But it was still true. Lucas looked like just the kind of guy who'd rescue a puppy, and that... that was her problem. He wasn't an idiot, he was a great guy, and it left her with these feelings she could in no way condemn herself for, except in that her friend would get hurt if she manifested them in any way.

Day after day she fought against it, armed with sarcasm and jokes and nicknames. And every day that passed it became harder. The more she got to know him, to see the golden boy in action, the more her defenses felt more like excuses, to hide the truth, her truth. She could sit and hope he would develop some flaw, give her a reason to be at ease with backing off, but... no.

She didn't really want that, how could she even suggest... He was a great guy, and she was lucky to know him, and to know that, and to have that great guy in her life, one way or another.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	36. Day 036 Feb 5th - Break

**DAY THIRTY-SIX**  
 **FEBRUARY 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Break" _[one day]_

She didn't want to do it. For a moment she had intended to refuse, but she knew this was beyond her control. She had started this now, and for better or for worse, she had started with the intent to finish. If doing this meant getting there, then what choice did she have? Running, that was a choice. Refusing, shouting, so many more choices than to agree to let them see her break. Because she would, wouldn't she? That was what it did to her, every time.

But she forged ahead, and she read the words, the letter she had sent her father, and when it was over, right when it could all have gone to pieces, she felt it.

A hand, on her shoulder.

Lucas.

The moment she felt his touch, without realizing it, she expelled a breath, the one that bore her fears, and took in another, this one carrying relief, warmth. She had done it, and she had not broken. Her pieces were still hers to hold. It could have come from others; this room was rich with people who made her feel safe and cared for, but it had been him, and that had felt like so much more than a simple touch. He was beholder of loaded silences, and his touch was topped to the brim with meaning. She only hoped he knew what that meaning represented to her, too.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	37. Day 037 Feb 6th - Night

**DAY THIRTY-SEVEN**  
 **FEBRUARY 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Night" _[one day]_

It had taken some convincing for Mr. Matthews to allow all of them - boys and girls - to have this sleepover. The rule was the boys had to sleep in the living room. Zay had won the couch in a heated match of rock paper scissors, once Farkle had gotten the window seat. So Maya had expected to spot Lucas in the 'the loser's sleeping bag' when she snuck into the kitchen for a snack. Instead she found him there, sat at the table eating cereal.

"Hey," he blinked when she startled. She came and sat, yanking the cereal box into her lap before diving in. "Can't sleep?"

"Hey, a girl's gotta eat," she shrugged. "What are you doing up?" In response, he held up a finger that said 'wait for it,' and near on cue, Zay let out an explosive snore. "So that's what that was," Maya chuckled, and he laughed, too. "I better not stay too long. Mr. Matthews might come running in here and finally catch you while you try to run. And you're running out of shoes as it is." He gave half a smile turned into a wince. "Well I won't tell if you don't." In gratitude, he held out an empty bowl. "I'm good," she promised, holding up the box and munching.

"Hey, Maya?" he started, and when she looked at him, he leaned forward and so did she. "Want to spook Zay?" She smirked with gleeful malice.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	38. Day 038 Feb 7th - Bull

**DAY THIRTY-EIGHT**  
 **FEBRUARY 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Bull" _[one day]_

He had never grasped how one second, one lonely second, could stand as the barrier between past and present until one night in Texas. In one second, his whole reality had changed. In one second, he learned... he had a chance. Just what that chance was and just how far it would actually take him, now this remained debatable, but it was there. It was there and it felt like... like stepping up to that bull and making the choice, for better or for worse, to climb on and make the ride.

It was dangerous, and more than a little frightening to think how hard he could crash and burn, but it didn't change that he had this shot and that he had to take it. It wasn't about his friends, or anyone else. It was what he wanted, and if he didn't even try, then he would have to remember it all his life.

But a bull was a bull, and the worst it could do was kill you, which, well...

But what about if it wasn't a bull but a person, a girl, a... a friend... a very good friend he was afraid of messing up with. But... she was so worth it, he knew. And he had survived the bull, hadn't he? If he could get past that, then wasn't it a sign? The universe telling him he could survive this, too? But... what if?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	39. Day 039 Feb 8th - Dynamics 1

**DAY THIRTY-NINE**  
 **FEBRUARY 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Dynamics" _[five days]_  
 _part 1 of 5_

There had been two draws. First, Mr. Matthews had gone around the classroom and had them all draw a piece of paper from a box. Some said 'parent,' others said 'child.' When they had all picked, both groups were told to separate. Then, the second box came, this one with colors for the parents, while the third box did the same for the children. By the end of it, parents and children of a same color were to assemble, and thus the project teams would be created.

Maya had looked at the rest of the parent side, and as luck would have it, the other green paper was in the hands of...

"Well, hell, husband," she approached Lucas, immediately left wondering if she had just felt her stomach flip.

"How do you know if we're still..." he started to say, but at the glare that seemed to say 'Lucas Friar, don't you dare,' he swallowed his words and looked to the other side of the room for their green-papered offspring.

They found these in the uneasy pair of Darby and Yogi, who looked as though they would have much rather been on the other side of this equation. Maya grinned.

"Now, now, kids, your father and I are taking you for ice cream. And when I say that, I mean he's taking all of us."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	40. Day 040 Feb 9th - Dynamics 2

**DAY FORTY**  
 **FEBRUARY 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Dynamics" _[five days]_  
 _part 2 of 5_

The Friar-Hart "children" had wandered off in defiance of their new sibling status after a while, leaving "Mom and Dad" to work out a few things on their own. Lucas wanted to start from the beginning, basic background information. Maya sat back, pondering, before deciding.

"Okay, write this down: Once upon a time, a boy and a girl, a subway car, and the beginning..." she intoned dramatically, then paused. "Write, Lucas."

"Isn't that how we met though?" he pointed out, and she sat up with a shrug.

"Makes it easier, doesn't it? We're pretending, but it's still us, so..."

"Sounds plausible to me," he agreed.

"It does?" she asked, trying not to look so taken aback. "Which part?" The leading with the truth part, or the you and me as a married couple part?"

He stared back at her, having little more answer than she did. What were they really saying, if either of them replied?

If Darby and Yogi had not returned just then, breaking the tension between their assigned parents, they might have been forced to answer. Instead, they were left to resume their story building, all the while trying not to consider too hard if what they came up with was a story or wishful thinking.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	41. Day 041 Feb 10th - Dynamics 3

**DAY FORTY-ONE**  
 **FEBRUARY 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Dynamics" _[five days]_  
 _part 3 of 5_

The project was coming along fairly well, as far as he could tell. They'd laid down all the groundwork, and they'd moved on to the assignment itself. As much as he had expected to have to wrangle all three of them to focus, it was Maya who seemed to be handling it all, along with him.

He tried not to go back and think about what they'd discussed, but how could he? This whole pretend marriage between them was actually kind of working, which should have made him sort of awkward, baffled, except it didn't. He'd gotten into it, too. It had been a great few days.

Now it was all drawing to an end, and all he could think about was that he was actually... kind of sad? Why should he? They weren't actually a family, they were all kids, and he and Maya... He and Maya...

There was something different about her in all this. And he knew she was great at pretending, putting on voices and all that, but... somehow he didn't believe this was it. He supposed maybe she was just having fun, too. And when this would all be over, they would go back to the way things were... like nothing had ever happened. But... Was that even what he wanted?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	42. Day 042 Feb 11th - Dynamics 4

**DAY FORTY-TWO**  
 **FEBRUARY 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Dynamics" _[five days]_  
 _part 4 of 5_

It had taken until the very end, as they were getting ready to make their presentation to the class, for her to stop and see what the last few days had been to her. She'd gone and let herself get carried away with this project, and for what?

Was she so in need of a 'normal' family that pretending those three were her own would have changed her? Maybe, just a little. It had been absolute in her convictions that their little pretend family would not be touched by the slightest hardship that would ever risk to draw them apart; she could only accept them pulling closer, rallying around one another.

But there was more to it, and she knew that. She knew that she could close her eyes and put any others in place of their 'children,' but in no scenario could she unseat her randomized pretend husband. She had no doubt that she would not have gotten half so invested as she did if she hadn't had Lucas by her side. There had been little effort required from her to pretend with him.

Actually, there had not been any effort at all. They had embodied this happy couple like hands fitted to a pair of gloves. It had been so natural, so easy, and now it was over and she was realizing it. She didn't like the feeling it left behind, any more than its implications.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	43. Day 043 Feb 12th - Dynamics 5

**DAY FORTY-THREE**  
 **FEBRUARY 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Dynamics" _[five days]_  
 _part 5 of 5_

It was officially over. They'd made the presentation, handed in the project... They were back to being friends and classmates, all of them. But there was still something there, wasn't there? He could feel it, and looking at her he had to think she did, too. She was facing forward, but he'd become pretty good at reading her moods from the back of her head, her shoulders and back, how far she leaned on his desk, or in this case didn't.

After they were dismissed, they'd all gotten up, and she'd looked back at him, smiling but hiding. He had much of the same look. They could let it go, both of them, but he didn't think they should, or that she might want to...

"Hey, Maya?" he made up his mind and called to her, just as she was about to move away. "Do you want to... I mean... Well, project's done, I was thinking of going for ice cream, like we did before, so... Do you want to come with me?"

"For ice cream," she stated, suspicion in her eyes. He gave a short nod. "Well... What about the kids?" she ventured.

"They're old enough to look after themselves."

"Fine, but if they wreck the place, it's on you," she moved out of the class, and he watched her go, observed as her shoulders relaxed into what he recognized to be a smile.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	44. Day 044 Feb 13th - Window

**DAY FORTY-FOUR**  
 **FEBRUARY 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Window" _[one day]_

All it took was for her to come to his house once, to see how the house was, where his room was. Soon there came a day where, as he sat on his bed reading comic books, he heard a soft rattling at his window, and in she came scrambling. He jumped up, not understanding what was happening until that blonde came through.

"Afternoon, Ranger Rick," she greeted him.

"I have a door," he pointed out. She wasn't paying attention; her head was back out the window, gesturing. "Maya?"

"Riley, come on!" she called before turning back to Lucas. "You ready to go? Movie starts in half an hour." She looked at the comics on his bed. "Or did you forget?" she went to pick up the one he'd been reading, leafed through it. He was at a loss for words.

"I didn't forget, you didn't ask," he realized.

"Oh, details, what, you don't like movies?" She returned to the window and peered down. "Fine, just wait there then," she called to Riley. "So are you coming or not?"

"I guess, yeah," he pointed to the window, then blinked, thinking they should use the door until he considered having to explain to his parents how she got here in the first place. "After you," he nodded to the window. She was halfway down before he'd said it. Maybe he should lock his window from now on...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	45. Day 045 Feb 14th - Power

**DAY FORTY-FIVE**  
 **FEBRUARY 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Power" _[one day]_

She didn't know what came over her sometimes. She would see him go all 'Texas Lucas' and it would leave her just... all aflutter. Was that who she was? Okay, sure, she was fourteen, it was probably normal, wasn't it? Boys, muscles, power! She didn't get all giggly, and thank goodness for that, but... Lucas...

She was solid most times around him, and then he would do... something... and she would melt faster than ice cream on a stovetop. All at once, it was like she couldn't think straight anymore, she just wanted him to keep doing whatever it was he'd been doing, the better for her to keep watching. And more often than not, she wasn't even the tiniest bit sorry or ashamed, not until later, when she came down off her cloud and considered what she had and what she could or couldn't have, what it meant in the long run.

And always it came back to repercussions, the ones she would encounter if she left these... reactions... unchecked. So long as no one thought anything serious of it, she had no problems.

But what if they knew? What if they understood that, in time, it had grown to be more to her, that it was no more fleeting to her, but something strong, sheltered in her heart and protected with all her might...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	46. Day 046 Feb 15th - Fate

**DAY FORTY-SIX**  
 **FEBRUARY 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Fate" _[one day]_

When years would have gone by, and the two of them would long have become the pair that they were, it would become easier to look back. From this vantage point, he could see so much of what they had, what they'd fought to have, and what they might not have had, for the slightest of reasons.

It went as far back as the first time they'd met, on the train. He'd never told her how he'd almost boarded the next car, until he'd moved over to not follow the loud man next to him. Had he boarded that original car, he had to wonder now what would have happened. They all wouldn't have met until school, and what if he didn't become friends with the train girls so fast? They might have just been classmates and little more.

But... no... he couldn't believe that. The way he saw it, they were always going to end up here, happy as they were, no matter when or how they met. The world had conspired to bring them together, the city girl and the country boy, and it would take much more than a train car to get in the way of it.

Every last piece had found its way, and despite how long it had taken for it to happen, once they had made the picture whole, they could no longer see the cracks to show where the pieces touched.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	47. Day 047 Feb 16th - Parents

**DAY FORTY-SEVEN**  
 **FEBRUARY 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Parents" _[one day]_

Almost as soon as he'd woken up to find he was alone, he'd heard mutterings from the next room. Dragging his feet and rubbing his eyes he'd followed the light to find her, sat on the ground in the nursery, surrounded by mounds of small ruffled clothing, and one folded pile growing to her right.

"Maya?" he approached. She looked up. "It's 2:30..."

"Clothes won't fold themselves," she shrugged.

"Well that's fine, seeing as they won't need wearing for a few more weeks," he sat, too.

"Then we'll be ready," she kept folding, with resolve and drive. "Everything will be perfect."

He watched her in silence for a while. She hadn't said it, but he could see it in her eyes, had been seeing it. In just a couple of weeks at most they would have this baby, and it would be their turn to be the parents. And it meant so much to both of them, of course, but it was different for her, and he realized that. She had seen first hand how it could all go wrong, even for people with the best of intentions. She wanted to do so much better for their child, and even though he knew she would, and she probably did, too, sometimes the doubts would creep in, none more than now, so close as the due date was.

"Can I help?" he asked, pointing to the unfolded heap. She smiled, nodding quietly.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	48. Day 048 Feb 17th - Solid 1

**DAY FORTY-EIGHT**  
 **FEBRUARY 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Solid" _[two days]_  
 _part 1 of 2_

She didn't know just when she'd come to know this quality in him. It was just there, part of who he was, not just to her but to their group as a whole really. He was solid. No matter what happened around them - and it could certainly be qualified as peculiar at times - she knew they could all depend on Lucas to be unwavering. They could depend on his presence, on his words...

It was reassuring, like seeing him there meant everything would be alright in the end, no matter what came their way. It was invaluable in their friendship, and if that was all it was... if... But as much as it meant to all of them, it felt to her like it had its own separate meaning when it came to her.

She knew how she could get, not merely volatile but also... afraid, of taking certain chances, of hoping... As if she could be blamed for that... But then she would see him, and he'd smile, or look at her, say something, and all of a sudden everything would change. It was like being lost at sea, and suddenly coming upon a shore... solid ground. And you'd feel so relieved and never want to move again.

He had become that for her, a sandy beach after the chaos of the open, hopeless sea. And she never wanted to leave. She never wanted to go anywhere that took him out of sight.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	49. Day 049 Feb 18th - Solid 2

**DAY FORTY-NINE**  
 **FEBRUARY 18TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Solid" _[two days]_  
 _part 2 of 2_

Sometimes he looked at her, and one thought would come to him, overwhelming in its truth: Maya Hart was a superhero.

She went around and was just something about her, this assurance as to who she was, and it was an energy he could not get enough of. Seeing her blaze through the world as she did, he was glad for being part of her life as much as for her being part of his own.

She couldn't be torn down, a steadfast pillar. And yet... He had been thrown, absolutely unsettled to learn that she _could_ be thrown off course. Wasn't that the way with superheroes though?

Sure, some were aliens, but many more were human, and sooner or later it was a quality that was to be recognized, and more to it, had to be honored. Maya's humanity resided in this unshakeable fear and doubt casting shadows in the midst of her light, and for as much as he wished for her to see her strength, her solidity, he also knew it would be no favor to her to discredit the importance of her fragility in who she was. More than ever, he wanted her to know that, should she ever feel herself swaying, he would be there to support her, to share his own strength with hers.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	50. Day 050 Feb 19th - Rope

**DAY FIFTY**  
 **FEBRUARY 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Rope" _[one day]_

He had known there would be repercussions; at the very least, he had expected as much. Still, nothing came, in weeks and months following the day, so eventually, he had adopted some foolish notion that she had merely let it go.

Then the morning came when he walked into school, and with little to no warning, it came... a rope fell over his head and tightened around his arms. He'd barely felt the tug of the rope's master before turning, knowing it would be mistress.

"Well look at that," Maya beamed, tipping an imaginary hat. "Caught me a Huckleberry," she pulled the rope.

"This is payback for your birthday," he approached obediently, smiling.

"I have no idea what you mean," she played, stopping when she couldn't pull any more without knocking into him.

"So you learned to do all that, just to get me back?" he asked, and even though she smiled and nodded, he could see through her eyes how she realized the whole thing might have been interpreted, like she'd dedicated all this time to impress him more than to get him back. "Well, if this is going to become tradition..." he replied, showing he wouldn't point it out.

"Oh, it better not," she poked him in the chest. "But... Happy birthday, Lucas."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	51. Day 051 Feb 20th - Couple

**DAY FIFTY-ONE**  
 **FEBRUARY 20TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Couple" _[one day]_

It would have been difficult to say - that was, if either of them got up the nerve to do anything of the sort in private - which one of them had been the most affected by their classmates giving them the title of best couple in the yearbook.

On the one hand, there was Maya, left to confront aloud - that is knowingly, in her mind, though still silent to the world - what she had worked tirelessly to ignore and pack into the furthest recesses of her mind where it couldn't harm her or anyone else.

And on the other, there was Lucas, who would sit in his room, staring at the page in his yearbook, wondering how it was that he hadn't understood how it was that they behaved around one another.

If they had spoken, they might have found that all of their uncertainties boiled down to roughly the same questions: what did this mean? Was it just people's imaginations, or was there really something there? Scarier still were the questions in the back, like... Did the other feel something, did they themselves, enough to risk doing something about it? If they had gotten up the nerve to speak to one another, maybe they could have pieced it together, but then who knew? What if they tried and only made matters worse? That was the greatest risk of all.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	52. Day 052 Feb 21st - Paths

**DAY FIFTY-TWO**  
 **FEBRUARY 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Paths" _[one day]_

The greater their lives became connected, it was only that much easier for them to realize how it all existed by chance. They had been brought to meet, their paths crossing, only by the chance that Lucas' father had moved them from Texas to New York. It was the strangest thing to think about, how they might have gone their whole lives not knowing the other existed if not for the relocation.

They could have had entirely separate - not to mention entirely different - lives, but instead they had this one, together, and it had brought them both enough joy that they couldn't bear to think of what could have been.

They were bound now, in friendship, and in something more, and the last thing they would ever want would be to lose this. Their paths had not only crossed, they had merged, and they had become integral enough to one another now, as to be damageable by separation.

And now, for all they had seen and done, they knew just as much that their joined roads stretched further out ahead of them, further still than they might be able to see it from where they stood, with new twists and turns along the way. They did not know where their roads would take them, or how far, but what they did know was that they would still be there for one another.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	53. Day 053 Feb 22nd - Support 1

**DAY FIFTY-THREE**  
 **FEBRUARY 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Support" _[three days]_  
 _part 1 of 3_

He hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since he'd gotten home from school. It all just kept nagging at him, this sort of feeling like he had done wrong. He hadn't felt as though he had, not for a while after the original incident, but now...

Maya had been so upset. Not at him, not exactly, as far as she'd claimed, but then upon further consideration, all he could see were the concerns he had raised in her. The thing that had caused her ire, now that... that had been about something else, something he couldn't help but still feel connected to. She had not taken his calling her what he'd called her so well, but the thing that had sent her over the edge had been a lack of support.

And after they'd all sat and talked it over, what he was left with now was this, a feeling like he had let her down. It wasn't even the same as her calling him names. It didn't bother him so much, and he let her do it... some might say gladly. In her case it was different, he realized that now, and because of that, here he was, reflecting, and coming to a question he was loathe to answer. He had to ask it, to her. Her answer had to be the correct one, more than his own. So he went, off to knock at a window.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	54. Day 054 Feb 23rd - Support 2

**DAY FIFTY-FOUR**  
 **FEBRUARY 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Support" _[three days]_  
 _part 2 of 3_

She'd been so focused, working on a drawing meant to be her mother's birthday present, that when the knock came at her window, she jumped and nearly smeared blue paint all over the image. Still startled, she looked up.

There was Lucas, on the other side of her window, sheepishly waving, like he knew she'd be annoyed at him. Maya went and pulled the window open, getting a handful of shirt before pulling him into her room, as quickly as he could keep up and follow.

"What do you think you're doing here?"

"I'm sorry I made you jump, I... I had to ask you something, a face-to face something."

"Oh," she paused, looking at him. "What is it?"

"Maya... Have I been a bad friend to you?"

"What?"

She blinked. That had not been anything she could have expected to hear from him, and she knew that was because of course he had not been a bad friend. But he seemed to think he had, which left her to wonder what he could have done.

"You've been upset about what I said the other day, and I get that now, but it got me thinking, about what you said, and what I said, and... I wondered if it meant maybe that I had been a bad friend to you, for not realizing. I didn't want you to get upset by it." So there it was. She could just have smiled right then and there, but he needed an answer.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	55. Day 055 Feb 24th - Support 3

**DAY FIFTY-FIVE**  
 **FEBRUARY 24TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Support" _[three days]_  
 _part 3 of 3_

She had to tell him something, and it left her alarmed to find herself hesitant. What could she possibly tell him? She was not just hesitant, she had absolutely no clue what to tell him, and that only made it worse, or it would, if he realized it.

"Maya?" he asked, and looking back at him, she found herself staring into those eyes of his, finding such concern that it knotted her stomach even more. She just had to start, to say anything and let her be carried along... or get even further into trouble... That would actually make sense.

"You're not a bad friend, Lucas," she told him, which was the most natural place to start, and even as she said it, she sighed in disbelief. "Why would you even think that? You deal with _me_ , and I'm definitely not the easiest to get along with," she shrugged, and he... he smiled.

"Sure you are," he told her, with not a drop of doubt in him, and there were the stomach knots again. She tried not to smile, only succeeded halfway.

"I'll allow it, on account of you probably got kicked in the head by a horse or something at least once in your life."

He mumbled something she thought sounded like 'sheep,' then said he'd see her at school and left the way he'd come. She watched him go, her drawing forgotten.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	56. Day 056 Feb 25th - Idiots

**DAY FIFTY-SIX**  
 **FEBRUARY 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Idiots" _[one day]_

Years from then, they would look back on this time as their 'age of idiocy.' In no way did this allude to either of their brain capacities, but rather to their behavior toward or around one another, as the feelings, which would one day solidify into what they now knew, worked their power over them and quite unbeknownst to them.

'The Idiots' were a couple of teenagers caught up in a whirlwind, all the while assuming their feet remained safe on the ground. They could only see teasing, and nicknames, a game that went on and on, when they might have seen the energy that was generated from each of them at the smallest thought, the slightest contact. They were so caught up in each other, and they couldn't even see it the way the rest of the world did, if they even stopped to watch them.

They had always been headed for this, one way or the other, and only the eventual knowledge that they had found their way to one another could make them look back fondly on this time, rather than how it might have all been, if they hadn't... But they would never know, because it had worked out, and that was what mattered. They could look back on them now, those young idiots, standing unaware of the wind at their feet.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	57. Day 057 Feb 26th - Grab

**DAY FIFTY-SEVEN**  
 **FEBRUARY 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Grab" _[one day]_

He knew he was to blame for her anger, if only for part of it, and when she'd grabbed hold of Zay's shirt, he'd instinctively reached over, and he'd taken her hand, redirecting her to grab hold of him instead. The gesture had been wholly symbolic, and yet... For a moment, everything had felt so very... charged, electric.

His heart felt just a little confused, his eyes locked on the short blonde - for now - towering over him. He'd referred to her as the blonde beauty, talking to Zay, and looking at her here, how could he not? In that small charged instant, she was the whole world, and that whole world only had eyes for him.

Then the moment had gone, and so had she, leaving with little proof of its ever having been real except for the rumpled bit of his shirt where she'd held on. He found himself sitting there and, for a second, wondering if she couldn't stop thinking about it, too.

He wouldn't bring it up, of course he wouldn't... especially now. But it would stay with him, caught up like any number of other memories of Maya which had become stored up in his head since she had come into his life. She had to remember it, too, of course she would... if nothing else, she was fired up over their argument, and that had a way of staying with you.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	58. Day 058 Feb 27th - Size 1

**DAY FIFTY-EIGHT**  
 **FEBRUARY 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Size" _[two days]_  
 _part 1 of 2_

In time she would tell him the truth, about the insecurities which had plagued her over her height, how she didn't think she would grow any taller than she was now. She was ready to tear him a new one if he said the wrong thing, but then deep down she knew he wouldn't. He might have said the words that had sent her into a tailspin, but she knew very well there had been no animosity whatsoever, no mean spirit at all. And when she'd told him about her insecurities, finally, it had been some time since the 'short stack of pancakes' incident, and he wasn't just her friend anymore.

So it was well within his ability to respond by putting his arms around her, which had a way of filling her with warmth like going from zero to sixty in two seconds flat. Her head would fit just so, finding his heart beating into her ear. She was never so at ease.

"I don't know, Maya, you seem just the right height to me," he spoke, shrugged. His head was bowed over hers, and she had to close her eyes, thinking maybe he had the right of it. She knew without a doubt that she would be in a sorry state if she couldn't have this, have him holding her the way he did. And the good thing was, now that she'd told him all about it, she was certain he felt the same way.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	59. Day 059 Feb 28th - Size 2

**DAY FIFTY-NINE**  
 **FEBRUARY 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Size" _[two days]_  
 _part 2 of 2_

He had never suspected her insecurities. He knew how short she was, sure, and he had only ever called her on it that one time, but most times, really, he hardly noticed a thing. She didn't behave in any way that might have called attention to it...

Alright, so she had this thing about hopping on to people's backs and he could pick her up like she was nothing, but that was beside the point. Most of the time, and maybe even when she 'hopped on,' she was more a giant than the tallest of them. She commanded attention, commanded respect, and a bit of fear, too.

When she had finally told him how she felt, he could do no better than to hold her close. He could never want her to be anything but exactly who she was. She was calm in his arms, and that gave him peace. He never wanted her to have to feel bad about herself, and he hoped she knew that, and she would know he would be ready to bring her this same comfort he tried to give her now, whenever and for however long she might need it.

The tiny giant's happiness was all that he wanted. Maybe with him there by her side, she'd get to see herself the way he saw her, a force of nature, larger than life, whether she was four feet tall or six. She was just the right size to hold in his arms.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	60. Day 060 Feb 29th - Proud

**DAY SIXTY**  
 **FEBRUARY 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Proud" _[one day]_

She'd been playing like she was sleeping for a while, the better to not let the small train compartment force out any talk she didn't want to have. But then Farkle had walked off, and Riley, too, and now Zay, leaving only her... and him.

"How long are you going to pretend, Maya?" After a moment, trying to save face, she yawned, pretending she was just waking up and looking over.

"Oh, hey, where... where is everyone?" she casually asked. He didn't reply, only stared back, with a look that told her, if she didn't find another topic, he'd talk about... that... If the others came back and they heard... "Look, I know I made a big thing about not watching, but I... I know you got through that bull ride and all, so I wanted to say... I'm proud of you, Lucas," she breathed. He looked back at her, and she was pleased to see the campfire had gone from his eyes. He was stunned.

"You are?" he asked, and she gave a good nod.

"Not saying you should make a habit of it, and actually I'm going to insist on that, if you..."

"Hey, I never wanted to do it in the first place..."

"Good, so we agree, no more bull riding, retire a champ and all that," she nodded, relief in her eyes. "We can all look back on that."

"And on you, being proud of me," he smirked. She bit back a laugh, then realizing where his talk might be headed, she yawned again.

"Wow, that nap is really coming on. Don't wake me 'til New York, okay?"

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	61. Day 061 Mar 1st - Share 1

**DAY SIXTY-ONE**  
 **MARCH 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Share" _[two days]_  
 _part 1 of 2_

She wished she could forget the look on his face, when she'd first told him about her father, really told him, down to the most damaging bits she could bring herself to reveal, which was already more than she would have expected. She wanted to forget it, but she couldn't.

And worse still, she kept seeing it, when something of herself would be brought to light and he'd... pity her. He'd probably say that wasn't it, but that was what it felt to her, always, and to get it from him of all people... She had felt able to share with him, and that was big for her, or it felt that way as soon as he'd give her that look.

Compared with everyone else in her life, who was either family, or teacher, or lifelong friend, Lucas seemed as though he'd come out of nowhere with this power to instill a confidence with her, enabling her to open up and share her secrets. It brought her reassurance as much as it brought her a dose of fear and confusion.

Maybe not confusion, not as much anymore. She was starting to understand where it came from, more and more. What good was it for her to lose confusion if all it did was to make her take on more fear, fear of losing what mattered to her the most, to lose friends, to lose... him.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	62. Day 062 Mar 2nd - Share 2

**DAY SIXTY-TWO**  
 **MARCH 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Share" _[two days]_  
 _part 2 of 2_

He knew she could see it in his eyes every time. And he tried not to respond that way, but how could he not? The last thing he wanted for her was pain, but the problem was that he knew... She'd had plenty of it already, and there was nothing he could do about it, nothing but to be there, be her friend...

She had shared so much with him, and he knew better than to underestimate the gesture. It was a privilege he had gained, by no gesture of his own knowledge, and one he would not regain so easily if he ever lost it. He wanted her to know that she could trust him, that he valued their friendship and all she'd seen fit to include him into. By that inclusion, he knew the power went both ways, that she would listen to what he might have to share of himself, and she had... in her own way.

No matter what happened, he could always know she would have him at heart. She was so much more than what she presented herself to be in the beginning, he realized this now. They were no longer strangers on a train. They had been bonded in friendship, in trust and in truth, and for that they could never be strangers again. They could be apart for a day or decade and it would not erase the ties they had made in the stories they had shared with one another.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	63. Day 063 Mar 3rd - Voice

**DAY SIXTY-THREE**  
 **MARCH 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Voice" _[one day]_

He would always remember the first time he heard her sing. The first, proper time, beyond her messing around with him in school... Maybe one day he would even tell her about it: she didn't know he'd been there, listening, or at least he didn't think she did, and she hadn't said anything...

He'd known both of them would be at Riley's that night and, in hopes of not having to cross Mr. Matthews and lose a shoe or a limb, he'd gone to seek out the bay window... only to find an empty room. He'd soon found them, peering through Auggie's window.

Riley was sitting at her brother's side, while Maya sat across from them at the foot of the bed, guitar in hand. He could hardly say what song it was, only that it was lucky none of them had seen him in the window, listening just as intently as the Matthews siblings did.

The tone of it all could have seemed so unlike her, but the more he thought about it - and he had, for a while after climbing back down unseen - the more he believed he'd been wrong. It was exactly her, the girl under all the bravado. It might have felt like an intrusion, but then he believed she would be prone to sharing this side with him, too, and she would, eventually. Even so, he would never forget that very first time, the one he had happened on by chance.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	64. Day 064 Mar 4th - First

**DAY SIXTY-FOUR**  
 **MARCH 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "First" _[one day]_

They had been here before, on the verge of a moment, a rollercoaster peak waiting for a tilt that never came. Her heart was going just the way it had done before, only now with an added tremor: what if the tilt didn't come... again. She didn't think she could...

"Don't..." she started to say, and she felt him freeze, staring back at her in surprise. "I mean, don't... do like last time... I can't..."

And he had listened to her. He hadn't done like last time, no. Last time, he had pulled her face near his, took her breath and her gaze prisoner, and then just when she'd thought he might, just when she'd wanted him to, he hadn't.

That was last time, and this... this was first time. When he had held her close, captured her, heart, breath, gaze, all, and in one second more had leaned in to bridge that final gap and pressed his lips to hers... All at once, last time had been forgotten, last time, with its retreat, to be replaced forevermore with a first, a careful sort of motion, like dipping your toes in the pool because you could not be a cannonball.

When the kiss had ended and she had looked up at him again, she could not decide if his smile was for his own reaction or for catching the smile on her face... but then she couldn't figure that much either. It didn't matter, not as much as knowing that after firsts came seconds.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	65. Day 065 Mar 5th - Hope 1

**DAY SIXTY-FIVE**  
 **MARCH 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hope" _[seven days]_  
 _part 1 of 7_

At thirteen, Emily Friar felt quite capable as a font of knowledge for her younger siblings on everything involving their parents. Most of all, she wanted them to see what she'd been seeing in her own head all this time.

"Come and sit," she called to her brother and sister.

"Why?" Lizzie asked, though she still came, only eight and already near as tall as Emily.

"You'll see. Come on, Tom-Tom," she gestured to the five-year-old idling by. Thomas was as quiet as a mouse; Lizzie had often been called 'the little hellion.' Emily gathered up her brother on her knees when he came. "I'm going to tell you a story," she revealed. "About Mom & Dad."

Lizzie had looked instantly targeted, her eyes inquiring if this might have had to do with the incident of the night before, after which Emily had told her younger sister how she'd upset their parents.

"I'm going to tell you about who they were, back when they were my age."

"I already know that," Lizzie spoke guiltily.

"Sure, but this is going to be different. Mom used to do this with Aunt Riley, and I think we can, too. Do you want me to tell the story?" She looked to her brother, who gave a nod. She looked to her sister, who was chewing her lip. "Well?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, okay," Lizzie sat up straight and nodded.

"Good, so let's see... How about the day they met..."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	66. Day 066 Mar 6th - Hope 2

**DAY SIXTY-SIX**  
 **MARCH 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hope" _[seven days]_  
 _part 2 of 7_

"Emmy, what did you do?" Lizzie blurted out, while her older sister gazed around the subway car. Thomas on her knees looked, too, though still as a statue. Emily pointed.

"There he is," she indicated the boy sitting on his own. "And that means any second..."

A blond girl slid up, cool as everything, of a height and age and aspect with Emily, but still recognizable...

"Mommy!" Thomas spoke, perking up with curiosity. The girls observed her, the both of them, really... It was the weirdest and most wonderful sight.

 _"Hi, I'm Maya. You're really cute. We should hang out sometime..."_ their mother's young self began, leaving their father's young self and the three of them observers equally as captivated as she went on without leaving a moment for reply before moving away again.

Suddenly they were back as they'd been, on the living room couch at home. "Can we do that again?" Thomas whispered.

"I don't get it, what does it have to do with..." Lizzie started to say, before clamping up. "I mean, it was weird and kinda fun, I guess, but then what?" she asked, her face showing she might have wanted to know more than she'd dare to say.

So Emily thought for a second before standing herself and Thomas and pulling Lizzie on her feet as well. "Let's go forward a little. Ready?"

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	67. Day 067 Mar 7th - Hope 3

**DAY SIXTY-SEVEN**  
 **MARCH 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hope" _[seven days]_  
 _part 3 of 7_

The three young Friars had now found themselves following their tale in the halls of what they could see was a school, but what they came to face here startled them all, none more than little Thomas, who hid behind his sister as they were surrounded by a group of strangely dressed kids, with paint on their faces. But then right at the heart of the group, there they were again, their young mother and father. Their mother had just grabbed hold of their father, forcing him to look her in the eye at once.

 _"You questioning my leadership, Hopalong?"_

 _"Okay, these names you're calling me are killing my street cred,"_ their father complained.

 _"Aw,"_ their mother teased, _"Then what would you like me to call you?"_ she asked him.

 _"I'd like you to call me Mad Dog,"_ he declared, and both Emily and Lizzie had a laugh over that, while Thomas peered cautiously out from behind his older sister's legs.

"I like when she smiles like that," Lizzie found herself saying, and Emily nodded in agreement. "She does that because of him, right?" Lizzie guessed, as they stood in the living room again. Emily sat back down.

"Yeah, she does," she replied, thinking on memories of her own childhood, the ones she'd lived, more so than that of her parents' youth. "Are you starting to see it, Lizzie?"

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	68. Day 068 Mar 8th - Hope 4

**DAY SIXTY-EIGHT**  
 **MARCH 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hope" _[seven days]_  
 _part 4 of 7_

Lizzie sat down at her sister's side, while their brother was perched up behind Emily, staring back at the both of them. She wanted to say that she knew what her sister wanted her to know, but she didn't. All she knew was that Emily was trying to help her, to give her what she'd need to make things alright with their mother and father, and she wanted that very much, whether she could say it aloud or not.

"I don't see it," she admitted. "That's what you wanted me to say, right?" she frowned.

"No, not really," Emily told her, with an encouraging smile. She looked so much like their father when she did that, which always made Lizzie feel like she was being comforted. "You know what Dad keeps telling you?"

"'You're so much like your mother'?" Lizzie guessed. She never knew if it was meant as a good or a bad thing, but it usually came hand in hand with her being in trouble.

"Well, you saw them back there, what do you think?" Emily asked, and despite herself, Lizzie's response was to smirk. Emily responded in kind. "Now, should I keep going?"

"Yes," Thomas replied first, leaning to her and putting his arms around her neck. Lizzie wanted more of the story, too.

"Good, well... I think it's time we went into a different part," she began to recall the tale, shared by her mother, of her first visit to her father's Texas town...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	69. Day 069 Mar 9th - Hope 5

**DAY SIXTY-NINE**  
 **MARCH 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hope" _[seven days]_  
 _part 5 of 7_

It was just them now, and all around was quiet, and all was dark, save for the fire that crackled at their feet and the stars in the sky. Their young parents sat there, looking so very confused and in their own thoughts for a moment.

 _"Maya, why do you make fun of me?"_ he asked.

 _"Because you're easy to make fun of,"_ she told him, but even Lizzie could see there was more to it, and she was only eight.

Even as she knew them, her parents argued sometimes, of course they did, but seeing this one was different. It wasn't arguing: it was covering, not telling the truth. And now their young mother was all worked up.

 _"Look, if I had feelings for you, don't you think I'd just come right out and say it? Well, I don't, so what I do say is 'ha-hur...'"_ She stopped short, and so did the girls as they watched their young father step up and place his hands on her face, as though he was about to... But he didn't. He'd pulled back. They were quiet.

Emily could just barely appreciate the moment for herself, if she didn't think too much about it being her parents, who had almost kissed. She turned to Lizzie, as they sat back on the couch now, and she found her little sister deep in thought, like she was still with them in Texas that night. Maybe she was too young to understand it all; Emily was, too, as their parents had been then, too. But there was another part, one she'd started to grasp.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	70. Day 070 Mar 10th - Hope 6

**DAY SEVENTY**  
 **MARCH 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hope" _[seven days]_  
 _part 6 of 7_

The next time Emily continued the story, the siblings found themselves once again under the cover of night, on a rooftop crowded with what they knew to be their young parents' classmates.

"Where's Mommy?" Thomas asked his sisters.

"She's coming, see?" Emily pointed, as their young mother stepped out on to the roof and walked to join their young father. There was nervousness about them, but at the same time there was also a sort of joy, and seeing them there, it was impossible to keep from smiling like they did.

 _"Hey, Lucas?"_ their young mother had asked.

 _"Yeah?"_ he replied. Lizzie moved closer.

 _"Have I ever said anything nice to you?"_

 _"No,"_ their young father told their mother.

 _"Well... it's one minute to midnight, and I'm glad you're standing here,"_ she said, and to see how happy they both seemed, it was like magic.

 _"Well, that kinda makes up for everything,"_ he told her, and again their smiles were mesmerizing.

Lizzie turned back to her sister, as they sat on the couch. Thomas was now squeezed in between the two of them, and he turned to look from one to the other. Emily's story was done.

"That was really weird," Lizzie spoke slowly.

"But..." Emily guessed, and Lizzie hesitated. "Hey, Tom-Tom, you should get ready for bed, Mom and Dad will be home soon." The quiet boy dashed off obediently, leaving the sisters alone.

"We... We came from all that, didn't we?" Lizzie asked.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	71. Day 071 Mar 11th - Hope 7

**DAY SEVENTY-ONE**  
 **MARCH 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hope" _[seven days]_  
 _part 7 of 7_

"I didn't mean it, you know? What I said to them..." Lizzie confessed, her eyes filling with tears. Emily pulled her into her arms at once.

"I know. They know it, too," she promised. "And they're not mad at you, they couldn't be, not really, and not forever. The things I told you, the things you saw, it's them, and it's only a little bit of how they ended up being our Mom and Dad. It's like you said, we came from all that. Everything they ever wanted, everything they ever hoped for, Lizzie. They made it happen together, and you and me, and Thomas, we're the proof. It's hope, and it's trust, and that turns into love, for each other, and for the three of us... and from us to them."

When the door opened, this was what Maya and Lucas found, their eldest daughter, holding the youngest, who was crying in her arms.

"Lizzie? Emmy, what happened? Where's Tommy?" Maya asked, as both she and Lucas stepped forward. Emily barely had time to say all was well before Lizzie had dislodged herself from her and dashed to embrace her mother.

"I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it."

"Lizzie, we know," Lucas assured her, crouching at her side, brushing tears from her cheek.

"Good," she hiccupped. "Won't say it again."

"Already forgotten," Maya promised, looking to Emily for more explanation. The girl stood.

"I just... told them a story. It was really good."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	72. Day 072 Mar 12th - Glad

**DAY SEVENTY-TWO**  
 **MARCH 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Glad" _[one day]_

It was something about those moments, whether short or long, where they both left each other with a smile, that always filled him with this feeling of gladness. The fleeting ones were honestly the best, to know that, with very little words - and at times no words at all - they had given one another a reason to smile...

Sometimes they were sort of smug little smiles, born out of a joke they had shared. Sometimes they were smiles of relief, and smiles that seemed solely for the sake of contentment.

And then... then there were the ones... the smiles that filled him with so much of that gladness that he would be well for the rest of the day. She gave him one of those, and at once it felt that 'glad' was no longer a sufficient word. If he had to find its replacement though, he was at a loss. How could he begin to describe it? He couldn't, and maybe it was just as well. What it did for him, he was comforted enough to know that he had it.

Nothing had to change for him, or at least... Not so long as she kept on smiling at him, in any shape or form. If there could be more, well he couldn't refuse it either. All he knew was that it all had a way of becoming very confusing very fast. So what was so bad about gladness and smiles?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	73. Day 073 Mar 13th - Thanks

**DAY SEVENTY-THREE**  
 **MARCH 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Thanks" _[one day]_

She had a back log of thank yous for him. Each had been stowed away for one act or another of his infinite Ranger Rick-like goodness, back in the days when she'd been too busy teasing him or trying to 'get to' him to notice her own gratitude.

But she intended to pay him back, for every last one. Every so often, she'd throw him a bone, partly because she wanted to, but in great part because it would be one less thanks that she owed him. She doubted he even realized that was what she was doing, and really how could he?

And besides, she kind of liked it better this way. It gave her the chance to see the look of surprise on his face, the exchange of gratitude. Something about making the guy happy just did the same to her. Sometimes she wasn't sure if she was still keeping count, just as she would wonder if she wasn't working the system on the other end, the better to give her more reasons to carry on as she'd been doing.

She didn't want him thinking she was doing any of this to hear him thank her. He was her friend, one of the very best she had, so of course she would help him if she could. There was nothing weird about it, no ulterior motive, so whatever anyone had to say, she wasn't going to hear it, nope. And again, no one had to know anyway.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	74. Day 074 Mar 14th - Contain

**DAY SEVENTY-FOUR**  
 **MARCH 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Contain" _[one day]_

She was a live wire, and for her he had been designated earth wire, keeping her from sparking out of control. He did it gladly; he knew a thing or two about being 'live.'

It wasn't so anymore, he'd changed, but he remembered. They weren't exactly the same, the old him and the present her, but he knew well how close she could be to it, and he could keep her from going over the edge, so why shouldn't he? She mattered enough to him that it was important to him.

She wouldn't always need him to step in as he had done, he didn't think. She didn't so much need to change as she needed a chance, to adjust. She had so much anger inside her, he knew, anger and so much more, all for plenty of valid reasons, and he couldn't tell her not to feel what she felt, but he could be there, just as he had been, and he could contain her, just long enough for her to find her balance again. That was easy.

They didn't mention it aloud, not most of the time, although it had come up eventually, and she had taken it just as he had expected her to. It was just part of how they worked, him and her. And he knew that, for how much he had given toward this 'duty of containment,' it went both ways, and that only made him that much more willing to assist her: because she helped him, too.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	75. Day 075 Mar 15th - Trust 1

**DAY SEVENTY-FIVE**  
 **MARCH 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Trust" _[five days]_  
 _part 1 of 5_

She didn't know the last time she had been so intently focused in class. Of course it had nothing to do with the class itself, but she could let Mr. Matthews dream.

No, the source of her focus sat not in front of her but behind. Lucas. He had seen, he knew her secret. He'd said he wouldn't tell, but why should she believe that, when they had only known each other a few weeks?

As soon as Mr. Matthews was busy writing on the board, she would whip around to stare Lucas down. He'd startle every time. Before she could be caught, she would turn back forward as though nothing had happened. Lucas had to be made to understand. She had her eye on him, and if he betrayed her, oh he would pay. He would regret it so hard he would hightail it back to Texas with the horse he'd rode in on.

The period was an endless cycle of this, and when it was over, she stood and took his arm, hurrying him out of class and away from the others, claiming she had something to show him. Whether that was actually true was debatable, as she did intend to show him what would happen if he talked, but if he was at all in possession of senses, he'd have gotten that already.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	76. Day 076 Mar 16th - Trust 2

**DAY SEVENTY-SIX**  
 **MARCH 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Trust" _[five days]_  
 _part 2 of 5_

"In here, now," she pushed the door open, and he pulled his arm away. "What's the matter, Huckleberry, are you scared?"

"Of getting caught in the girls' room? Yeah, what do you think? Look, Maya, if this is about this morning when I saw..." She pulled him into the bathroom at that, shutting the door behind them. For all his resistance, he was looking around the place with a fair amount of curiosity. She clapped her hands together.

"Focus now," she called and he turned to her.

"I already told you, Maya, I'm not going to say anything, to anyone, not even Riley or Farkle, not if you don't want me to. You can trust me, okay?" She took a step toward him, putting on an innocent face. He looked nervous.

"Can I? Can I really?" she asked, her voice matching to the sweet disposition.

"Of... of course you can," he gulped.

"Well I better," she frowned now. "Of you and I will need to have some words, and I can promise you, they will not stop, and they will be everywhere." She opened the bathroom door and waved him out. He stepped forward, peering cautiously down both sides of the hall before making his exit. Once he was in the clear, he turned back to her, and he gave her a promise in a smile.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	77. Day 077 Mar 17th - Trust 3

**DAY SEVENTY-SEVEN**  
 **MARCH 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Trust" _[five days]_  
 _part 3 of 5_

The last few days could have been stressful, but they hadn't been, and he had known it. It might have been different if he had any intention of telling anyone what he'd seen, but he didn't. So all he really had to do was to wait, acting just as he would have done anyway, and wait for Maya to see that was how it would continued to be.

She had the whole posturing thing down, but he could see through all that, and the last thing he intended to do was to hold it against her. He had already discovered a great friend in Maya Hart, whether she accepted or realized he'd be glad to be the same toward her. It might not have seemed as though what they had was great and friendly, but it didn't have to make sense to anyone but him, and his friends.

Their group had welcomed him, and he only wanted her to understand the feeling was mutual, to each of them, and what privileges it granted her. This one, to protect her secrets with no amount of hesitation was one of if not the greatest part, sat at the core of everything. If he had to sit through days of 'menacing looks' and being yanked along by a tiny blonde, then so be it. The tiny blonde was his friend, whether she saw it or not.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	78. Day 078 Mar 18th - Trust 4

**DAY SEVENTY-EIGHT**  
 **MARCH 18TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Trust" _[five days]_  
 _part 4 of 5_

It had been a week since he'd sworn he wouldn't talk, and he... hadn't talked. And what she came to see now was that, while she could convince herself that he would do it, that it could be now or weeks from now, she didn't actually believe it anymore.

The thing about watching to see if someone would or wouldn't do something was that you then found yourself seeing everything they did - or didn't - do. And in that week, she had been put face to face with nothing but evidence toward Lucas Friar being an actual stand up guy... and maybe someone she could feel alright to trust, someone... she hadn't gone very far out of her way to show she trusted.

That was one of her central flaws, wasn't it? She found it so hard to let new people in, and then this was what she got. Trying to fix this felt at once like the most vital thing for her to do and the most impossible. But maybe she didn't have a choice in the matter. If she wanted him for a friend - and she didn't have to dig very deep to know that was true - then she'd have to suck it up and do what it took, preferably very far away from the girls' bathroom. So instead, she sent him a text, saying they needed to talk. He replied: he was on his way.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	79. Day 079 Mar 19th - Trust 5

**DAY SEVENTY-NINE**  
 **MARCH 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Trust" _[five days]_  
 _part 5 of 5_

Seeing him again, now that she had given it all some thought, she found she did not have the same reaction to him at all. She had spent a week treating his arrival like the beginning of yet one more stare down session, but now... She was seeing a friend approach... or she hoped that was still what they were when this talk was over.

She raised her hand in a half wave and he smiled and tipped his head. "So what did you want to talk about?" he asked, sitting down across from her.

"Oh, you know, the weather, world news, all fun... fun things. Also, just letting you know I'm pulling you off secret watch. I get it, you... you won't tell," she looked back at him, allowing a small smile.

"Good, so that's settled," he replied, as though he'd been expecting this. A part of her wanted to retaliate on that, but she had moved past it now, and she decided to just nod.

"But so long as we're clear here, that does not mean I don't reserve the right to do something if you deserve it, Ranger Rick," she jabbed her finger toward him. He jumped, just a little, which got a smile from her.

The secret was never revealed, nor was it ever brought up again. It was in the past, as any number of things would come to be, between friends who trusted each other.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	80. Day 080 Mar 20th - Past

_DAY EIGHTY_  
 _MARCH 20TH 2016_

 _PROMPT:_ "Past" _[one day]_

For so long, his ways of being before New York and the person they had turned him into had been something he didn't want to bring anywhere near them. It was in the past, his past, and he wanted to keep it there, fearing the alternative might be that he lost the new friends he had made, having become the boy he was now.

Some of it had been forced out by circumstances - and Zay - but for the most part he had kept the key turned on the whole thing. But then there came Maya, and though he had not wanted to tell her either, with time, with years, she had become so much more, and they'd had enough history that he felt a new ease, a confidence. When he had been ready to tell her, he knew it was because his life, his present, had become so distant from his past that the two no longer had the slightest bridge to reach one another again.

His life was good, his life was better, and acknowledging that past with her, and the fact that it had been part of him but no longer was, would only make him stronger, and them together, too.

Because of course she had been a part of that, integral to all of it. They were more than his past, and he wanted her to know that. The way she had heard him was good, but that she'd known just what it all meant to him was better.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	81. Day 081 Mar 21st - Cowboy 1

**DAY EIGHTY-ONE**  
 **MARCH 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Cowboy" _[three days]_  
 _part 1 of 3_

He hadn't noticed it at first, not really, but now that he had, he could see it being true. Whenever he found himself displaying any sort of attribute of his life back in Texas, there was almost a guarantee of Maya having an... over reaction. Half the time it was vocal, but other times he could see how she would almost kind of... freeze up. He didn't know what would be going through her head at the time, and maybe it wasn't up to him.

But now that he was really picking up on it, what it made him think was that he really wanted to play on it, give her a good show and see what happened. It could have come off like teasing, but the way he saw it, why not? They'd been playing this little game of theirs from the start, it was central to their friendship, and he was all in. She had been giving plenty, and now it was time she got as good as she gave. If he'd counted it right, she would get a kick out of it in the end, and that was all the motivation he needed.

It wouldn't even be hard to put it all together. He had everything he needed, and he only had to tap into the side of him that still lived in his heart, not the one that had forced him away, but the part that loved returning to the place he'd called home.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	82. Day 082 Mar 22nd - Cowboy 2

**DAY EIGHTY-TWO**  
 **MARCH 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Cowboy" _[three days]_  
 _part 2 of 3_

When they all saw Lucas Friar walking down the halls at school the next day, it had everyone looking after him. But as to the intended audience of his little costume act, it wasn't until she walked into Mr. Matthews' class that she found him there, sitting back in his chair, legs perched not only over his desk but with his boots prominently perched on the back of the chair in front of it, which of course belonged to her.

He tipped his hat to her, swinging up to stand, tossing and catching the harmonica in his hand with a smile.

"Well howdy there Miss Hart," he greeted her. "Ranger Rick, at your service."

She had no words. She looked like she was trying to say something, but the capacity had left her. And if he was not mistaken, she was looking just a little bit... swoony.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Nothing?"

She had her hand in midair, finger pointed, but nothing came out, which seemed increasingly frustrating to her. Lucas trailed on back to his desk, playing a slow little tune on the harmonica.

The whole period went by, with her occasionally stealing a glance back, but she could not speak, not even when Mr. Matthews would call on her. She could only point over her shoulder in explanation, while he tipped his hat.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	83. Day 083 Mar 23rd - Cowboy 3

**DAY EIGHTY-THREE**  
 **MARCH 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Cowboy" _[three days]_  
 _part 3 of 3_

Maya hadn't said a word to him for the rest of the day. He suspected she would greet him the next day as though nothing had happened. He didn't intend to play against that. Today had been plenty amusing, and he knew eventually they would reminisce on it and laugh.

It was as he thought this that he had to stop and think about everything that had gone on. He had put together this entire exercise for what exactly? He wanted to get a reaction out of her, fine, but he'd known what that reaction would be, whether he could make himself name it or not. And he had gone out there to provoke it out of her, so he could see her look at him like... like she...

It was all meant to be a game, but somewhere in the last year, the game had gone and changed on them, and they hadn't really noticed. They'd just kept on going like they'd known the rules all along. Now he was starting to think maybe his joke on her was rebounding on him. He had played himself. So maybe it was a good thing she wouldn't bring it up again tomorrow, because this time, he'd be the speechless one.

He'd had to put on a costume and an act to get it out of her, but to him? All she really had to do was be there, and he was dumbfounded.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	84. Day 084 Mar 24th - Dark

DAY EIGHTY-FOUR MARCH 24TH 2016

PROMPT: "Dark"

She wasn't scared of the dark. In a way, she sometimes felt that she preferred it. In the dark, the world was quiet, there was no noise from everything that came to make her life complicated. In the dark, she could hear herself think, her mind was opened wide. How many nights had she laid awake in her bed, as ideas burst from out of her mind's eye?

The dark wasn't just for paintings and pranks though, at least it hadn't been, since he'd come along, and she'd started to realize these things she felt, and she knew it was more than a fleeting thing, that it was real, and she was in trouble. Lucas Friar had gone and stolen her quiet time, and she wanted to smack him for it.

Well, maybe not really, but... She didn't want all this hanging over her head anymore. It could be so exhausting, and she needed her rest. Sometimes she would lie there, and she would reach out for her phone, start to send him a text, to put it all out there and reclaim the darkness.

But she'd never do it. She would type and type, and then she would stop and delete. Sometimes she'd get as far as having her thumb hovering over the send key, but that'd be as far as she got. The dark would let her stop and think about what a message like that might do, to both of them as individuals and as friends, and she would very quickly erase, put her phone away, and turn back to try and sleep.

See you tomorrow! - mooners 


	85. Day 085 Mar 15th - Leap

**DAY EIGHTY-FIVE**  
 **MARCH 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Leap" _(one day)_  
 _Counterpart to "First" (day 64, March 4th)_

He hadn't decided it before, hadn't come right up to the edge expecting to be put up against that moment. He'd been going, and going, and... ta-da! He was there, on the edge, with a choice: leap, or run away. Run away, and abandon this shot, or leap... and start something with her.

Maya was right there in front of him, and this time it was brighter than the night by the campfire. Back then, all he could even focus on were her eyes, and now... well, it was still her eyes, but looking into them now, he saw everything, all that they had seen and done together since they'd met, all that it had meant to him, and her... he saw her, and he knew: He wanted to jump.

Better, he wanted to leap, as far from the edge as one could get. When she paused, he wondered if he'd missed...

"Don't... I mean, don't... do like last time... I can't..."

They were both ready for this leap, no sense keeping either of them waiting. He leaned in, finding the height difference not insurmountable by a long shot, and he kissed her. When she kissed him back, it felt like free falling, him and her and the open air, like the ground would never find them again, and they'd just keep going. It made him wonder how he'd ever kept on the edge for so long.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	86. Day 086 Mar 26th - Color 1

**DAY EIGHTY-SIX**  
 **MARCH 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Color" _(four days)_  
 _part 1 of 4_

She'd woken up that morning, and Lucas was already gone, as he would be. He had the early shift, though he usually woke her up before he left, at her own insistence. This time, there had been no wake up call. There was however a note: 'Morning, Maya, sorry I didn't wake you, it looked like a good dream. See you tonight, Lucas. PS: Sorry about the mess.'

She jumped out of bed and moved out into the apartment.

"What did you..." she spoke to no one, as she came upon 'the mess' on the table. He had left a cloth to cover said table, so it was the one covered in splotches of paint. Reds, and purples, and oranges, all about, but especially on... what were they, like transparencies for projectors.

One was covered in red shapes, one in orange, one in purple... It looked like nothing at all, and left her with one conclusion: either he had gone completely mad, or he was embracing his inner artist and making a turn for the very... very abstract.

She would clean up the mess, though she would absolutely be giving Lucas a piece of her mind about his starting and abandoning projects like that at the crack of dawn, like she had nothing better to do. In the meantime, his three 'canvases' were left on the table, in wait of an explanation.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	87. Day 087 Mar 27th - Color 2

**DAY EIGHTY-SEVEN**  
 **MARCH 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Color" _(four days)_  
 _part 2 of 4_

He'd had no explanation for the mess, only claiming to have had a desire to try something. She smelled a rat, but she left it alone. Except then the next morning came, with another early shift, another note, and another mess.

The colors of choice today ran through yellow, an green, and orange again. Now she had six of his odd little experiments, and she didn't know whether to be fascinated or annoyed. No, not annoyed, she couldn't.

He was doing something; he'd been doing something for years. Him and her and their little game... It never stopped, did it? And the thing was, looking at these pieces side by side, they didn't feel random, there was something more, there had to be.

She had always loved to play with colors, since she was a kid. It was part of what she'd always loved in art, whether she was the creator or the observer. Lucas had always appreciated her art, too. The very first piece she'd given him hung on their wall, hung there the day they had moved in together.

Was he trying to show her that now? She would wait and see what he did next. Now that she thought about it, the truth was... she was actually getting a tiny bit curious.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	88. Day 088 Mar 28th - Color 3

**DAY EIGHTY-EIGHT**  
 **MARCH 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Color" _(four days)_  
 _part 3 of 4_

Last night after he'd gone to bed, she had snuck into the kitchen and left him a surprise. If he decided to leave her something again tomorrow morning, he would get up and find the table already covered, and a note on top, just neat:

"In case inspiration strikes again, Ranger Picasso. - M"

When she woke this morning, there was his reply waiting: "It did strike. I even had time to pick up after myself this time. Be back at six. Friday night special? - L"

She snickered and hurried out to see what he had left. Again, three of the transparent plastic sheets, today covered in blue, and purple, and green marks. Something here felt almost final. Whatever he had been doing these last three days, these were the last pieces in the puzzle.

"Puzzle..." she thought aloud. "Puzzle!"

The nine pieces were laid out on the table, and she didn't know why she hadn't thought of this sooner. Why transparencies, unless the aim was to make it stackable? The random marks might not have been so random after all. This was Lucas stepping up his game for certain, especially with the other note he had left, which would make her day so very long:

"Don't touch anything until tonight."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	89. Day 089 Mar 29th - Color 4

**DAY EIGHTY-NINE**  
 **MARCH 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Color" _(four days)_  
 _part 4 of 4_

She was sitting at the table, waiting, when he arrived, pizza box in hand. She pointed at the other chair, making clear she did not like to be left waiting. He only smirked and came to sit with ease.

"How much has this been killing you?"

"About as much as you can imagine, and I'll be the one doing the killing here if it's not worth it." He had that smile...

"Let's remember later that was your answer," he told her. "Now go for it."

It wasn't all that hard, but she didn't think that had been the intention either. At first she had put them all in one pile. That hadn't been it, but in doing so, she could see some pieces did fit: three by three and then side to side. She stopped.

"Maya Penelope Hart," he read aloud the first trio, as she read it in her head. "You are all the colors in my world," said the second. And the third, oh... "Will you marry me?" Except he wasn't sitting anymore.

He had come to her side, and he was kneeling before her, as she stared, wide-eyed. She felt dizzy, and that was before the ring was presented by her boyfriend, the jittery master of their game with the hopeful smile.

"Have I mentioned I love the thought you put into our game? That's a yes, by the way." She really did love colors...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	90. Day 090 Mar 30th - Wish

**DAY NINETY**  
 **MARCH 30TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Wish" _(one day)_

Sometimes he felt like she had made him up for herself, like after long years of wishing for someone just like him, he had come. She hadn't exactly thought it that way, of course. She hadn't told herself 'gosh, I wish I had a cowboy,' but every so often she would find herself facing a situation that made her realize something was lacking in her life.

And now all those little things she had wished for, she was discovering them, one by one... in him. It could be just a tiny bit frightening, to realize someone had all those things in their arsenal. They became like a flame, a fire fed over and over until it raged, and as much as it could burn you... you still couldn't back away. That wasn't the problem though.

She needed the fire, she wanted it... him... But she was stuck. Maybe she could have another wish, now that he was here, or was that too greedy? No, it couldn't be. The way she saw it, getting him there meant nothing if she couldn't touch the fire.

She had to embrace the flame, not fear the burn. It wasn't wise to use up all her wishes on one guy though, was it? Fine. She would keep her wishes hidden away. She would conquer her flame with no more than her own skills, and he'd be the one to feel the heat.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	91. Day 091 Mar 31st - Compass

_A/N: Well that's a quarter of the year done, ha!_

* * *

 **DAY NINETY-ONE**  
 **MARCH 31ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Compass" _(one day)_

She had called him their moral compass, and she meant it; she'd certainly benefited from it most of all. But now here was someone coming to tell them things were not at all as they'd believed. And Maya was... intrigued. She didn't know the whole story, but even so... Since the year before, when Lucas had come into their lives, he had been this, the compass, just as she'd said, but it was more than that. This presence he had, the effect it had on her and all of them, it made him sort of... like a giant.

His face was high in the clouds, looking down to lead their way. He was up there, and it didn't seem possible that they could be in any way alike. Now all of a sudden, he wasn't a giant, he was just a boy, and she could see the parts of him that had been wrapped in clouds all this time.

Maybe they weren't as different as she'd believed, maybe they did have more in common after all. Now she knew all this, and... she wanted more. She was curious, and she wanted to discover what else there was to know about good old Ranger Rick. He would still be their moral compass; she didn't see that changing. Just because he wasn't so high anymore, it didn't have to take a single thing away.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	92. Day 092 Apr 1st - Ranger

**DAY NINETY-TWO**  
 **APRIL 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Ranger" _(one day)_

Almost as soon as she'd heard him talking he had become this person in her head. It wasn't even about his actual voice, which was not nearly as touched by his home state as she would come to suggest. It was the way he spoke, and the things he said. Lucas Friar was that upstanding sort of guy, who came into a room and commanded attention with very little effort. Not only that, but he deserved it all.

So thus, her good pal Ranger Rick had come into being. The way she tossed it about, it might have come off as though she made to make fun of him, and of course to some extent she did. The guy could be so perfect sometimes it got kind of off-putting.

But deep down she new all too well that it might have been a form of compliment, one of the highest. Everyone should be so lucky as to have a Ranger Rick in their life, and she would be the first to stand and give testimony to that very fact.

So it was insult and compliment both, but it inevitably grew playful, and on that front she guessed she knew why, but she wasn't ready to touch on that yet, and luckily, if he was in any way sharing of her inner questions, he wasn't ready to touch on them either. What she had to hold on to was that, one day, they both would be.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	93. Day 093 Apr 2nd - Smoothie

**DAY NINETY-THREE**  
 **APRIL 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Smoothie" _(one day)_

It was going to be easy. Him and her, sat together, a couple of smoothies, some conversation... Every part had happened, except for the last one, and that had been where things had fallen apart. He hadn't meant to, honestly, he hadn't. He wanted to have this with her, to try and figure out where they were headed, but then they'd come here, and suddenly he didn't know what to say. Or maybe that wasn't entirely it. He wanted to say the right thing... He just didn't know what that right thing was.

It had all changed so fast, since those days in Texas, and understanding what it could all mean had been so hard. The one thing that had been easy in this was that he cared for her, and deeply so. If he could only find a way to let her know that... She wouldn't wait forever, she'd get upset, and she was starting to now. So what did he say?

Oh, something stupid, of course. And before he knew it, those two smoothies, which he had himself suggested they get, were dribbling over his face, his head, and down his shirt. He might have been mad, but she was smiling, and he couldn't do anything except smile back at her. That was one failed attempt. He wasn't one for giving up on what mattered.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	94. Day 094 Apr 3rd - Fire

**DAY NINETY-FOUR**  
 **APRIL 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Fire" _(one day)_

 _They're like fire._

That's what Sarah had said, and maybe they were. He did feel an overwhelming energy when they were together, like life, like... fire. She brought it out in him, and he could always count on her to be able to get him going when he needed to. But they meant it as more than that, clearly, or they wouldn't have voted them through. They saw something in them, so it had to be there. He'd never stopped to think about it, but now he had, and he was finding it was not hard at all to see where their classmates had gotten that idea.

 _They're like fire._

And thinking of all those moments they'd shared, he could feel it again, the effect she had on him, the warmth of it. So what if they... But could he really? Could they? If it could only be about following those feelings, it might have been so much easier, but it wasn't, and it could never be. Someday, maybe, there could be something. But the road between now and then looked so treacherous, it felt impossible to even take the first step.

 _They're like fire._

He didn't want to lose what they had. Was that so bad? He could want more, but what if he messed up, and then they lost it all? Yeah, they were like fire. But left uncontained, fire could bring your whole house down.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	95. Day 095 Apr 4th - Stop

**DAY NINETY-FIVE**  
 **APRIL 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Stop" _(one day)_

As much as she'd try to just stare at the campfire, she'd feel him staring at her, and she'd have to look back at him, and then her nerves would start tearing at her. She needed him to stop, and she told him as much, but it still nagged at her. She couldn't do this, they... they couldn't do this, but her...

This wasn't supposed to happen. She'd done everything in her power to mount up a wall between herself and this problem that could cost her so much, including him, and what did he do? He chipped at her wall again and again until he was there again, in her reach, ready to get her in trouble.

Tonight, if he got chipping again, what would he find on the other side of her wall? He'd find her, with her heart forced out in the open, and then there'd be no going back. Did she really want all that pain? She said no, but she felt... like she'd tear that wall down, blow it apart, if it meant she might have him and it'd be easy.

That was the fantasy. It would never be that, so she tried to be good, watch the fire, don't think... Why couldn't he just stop? Didn't he see what they were headed for? Was she even worth all that?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	96. Day 096 Apr 5th - Dance

**DAY NINETY-SIX**  
 **APRIL 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Dance" _(one day)_

Most kids wanted a story before bed. Emily Friar had a different ritual. She got her bedtime dance, every other night.

It had all began one night, when she did get a story. Her father had told her all about the first time he had danced with her mother, though he specified they had not been dancing together 'officially.' Emily was amused.

"Were you dancing or not?" she asked.

"Alright, we were dancing, but we didn't start off that way. If you ever end up dancing with her, you might know what I mean." He smiled; she giggled. "What?"

"Because you loooove her," she bobbed her head side to side, and he imitated her right back.

"Picked up on that, did you? Come here."

And he'd yanked the then four-year-old into his arms, dancing around the room with her. Her laughter had drawn Maya to witness this, clearing her throat, still unable to cover her smile.

"Weren't you supposed to put her to bed? Is this a new thing, or..." she teased him.

But on the next night, when Emily asked for another dance, she was promised 'tomorrow,' and suddenly they had a routine, at times fulfilled by her father, at other times by her mother, but always, every other night, Emily Friar had her dance.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	97. Day 097 Apr 6th - Quick

**DAY NINETY-SEVEN**  
 **APRIL 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Quick" _(one day)_

"Quick, come with me."

That was all the warning he got before she grabbed his hand and pulled him along, leading him down the school hallway and into the empty history class.

"Get down," she whispered, crouching by the chalkboard. With no idea what else to do, he did as he was told.

"What's going on? Why are we..."

"Shh!" she covered his mouth with her hand, giving him a pointed look.

He stared back at her, just slightly dazed. A few moments later, she let go, got up, and left the room without word or explanation. When he attempted to find her, she was nowhere to be found, and he was all alone in the hallway.

Then, he woke up. Lying in the dark, in his bed, Lucas sat up, confused. It wasn't the first time he'd dreamed of her, though he'd never admit to it. And it always seemed to go that way, her leading him off somewhere, a moment between them, and then... all gone. He wished he understood what it meant.

To him it felt like they had something between them, a secret, something precious, worth protecting, something that could disappear on them if they weren't careful. But what did he know?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	98. Day 098 Apr 7th - Praise 1

**DAY NINETY-EIGHT**  
 **APRIL 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Praise" _(three days)_  
 _part 1 of 3_

When her art was selected for the exhibit, he had been the first to hear, so the first to congratulate her as well. He had hugged her, and she had been so caught off guard by the gesture, so warmed by having his arms around her, that it didn't start to feel awkward until... roughly the same time he started to feel it, too, and then they tried to pull away as casually as they could.

"I... Thanks, Lucas. It's no big deal."

"No big deal, are you kidding? Maya, this is huge. Come on, get excited," he smiled. Her mouth didn't cooperate. "You deserved it, too," he added, and if there was a worse time for her to feel her cheeks flush, she didn't know what it was. She knew he saw it, but this was Ranger Rick, so of course he had the presence of mind to look like he hadn't noticed. She knew he did though...

"I'm glad you like it," she managed to say, willing a smile to rise over.

"Well, you're really talented, I've told you that, right?"

Yes, he had, and hearing it from him again had the same effect as it had done the first time. She didn't tell him he had been her inspiration for this piece; she would have flushed so hard she would have burned.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	99. Day 099 Apr 8th - Praise 2

**DAY NINETY-NINE**  
 **APRIL 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Praise" _(three days)_  
 _part 2 of 3_

He hadn't worried about whether or not his friends would be there to support him in the stands, but even so, seeing them arrive, decked out in face paints and shirts and banners, he had been relieved.

They had all gone to find their seats, but he saw Maya hold back. She was waving him over, so he jogged to meet her.

"Looks good," he pointed to her painted face with a smirk. She had business face on.

"Are you going to show them who's boss, Huckleberry?" she asked with intensity.

"Yeah, I am," he matched her tone, feeling his own motivation rising. She broke into a smile, tapped his shoulders.

"Yeah, you will. Those guys are going to go home crying to their moms, because they have nothing on you. I mean, the sign says it all, see?"

She held up her sign to see: FRIAR IS ON FIRE.

"That's the most detailed sign I've seen out here," he nodded appreciatively.

"Well, I'm an artist," she shrugged. "Now you," she jabbed him in the chest, "Go out there and burn them good."

"Yes, ma'am," he tipped his head to her.

"No, no, we're not nice, we're not crushing with nice, give me the other face... Yeah, that one, that's... that's a good face. I mean... Oh, get out of here already..."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	100. Day 100 Apr 9th - Praise 3

_A/N: Woot woot for a hundred! ;)_

* * *

 **DAY ONE HUNDRED**  
 **APRIL 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Praise" _(three days)_  
 _part 3 of 3_

All week, they had heard nothing but how much she looked forward to the recital. She had practically lived in her costume. Then this morning, just as they were getting ready to go, they found her sat on her bed, the costume still on her chair, untouched.

"Emmy, it's time to go, what are you doing?" Maya asked, and the six-year-old looked up at her and Lucas with a frown.

"I'm not going," she declared, crossing her arms.

"Why not?" Lucas asked as they came in.

"I'm going to fall. They'll laugh at me."

"You're not. And they won't," Lucas promised.

"And if they do I'll..." Maya started.

"... tell them to stop," Lucas finished, giving her a look, knowing how she could get at any ill comment toward their daughter, as though he wasn't kind of the same.

"That, yes. Also, you are so good up there," Maya sat next to her, pulling her near. "Everyone is going to look at you and be amazed. You just remember that. And if you're not sure, you look at us."

"Your biggest fans," Lucas agreed, giving them both a smile. "Friar on Fire, right?"

"Woosh," Emily beamed, tapping her father's hands when he held them up. She jumped off her bed, grabbed the costume and ran off.

"Still have your sign?" Lucas asked Maya.

"Oh, you know I do."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	101. Day 101 Apr 10th - Strong 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND ONE**  
 **APRIL 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Strong" _(five days)_  
 _part 1 of 5_

The exhibit was going well. Everyone was moving about the room, observing each piece of work, and plenty of them had given Maya's piece a good long look. They were impressed, and while Maya stood there trying not to look too awkward over it, there was Lucas, being his usual encouraging self. This had caught a woman's attention and she had approached them both.

"Here supporting your friend, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Lucas replied politely.

"That is very good of you," she added, and Lucas could see the barely contained smirk on Maya's face, like she had immediately been reminded of her old pal the white knight, Lucas the good. "Tell me," the woman had gone on, "How would you describe her, as an artist, as a person, in a word?" He hadn't even had to think.

"She's... strong," he said. The woman had moved on soon enough after this, only when Lucas had turned back to Maya, she had disappeared from her post near her artwork.

He turned, just in time to spot a head of blond hair ducking out of the room. Uncertain what he might have done wrong, he hurried after her.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	102. Day 102 Apr 11th - Strong 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWO**  
 **APRIL 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Strong" _(five days)_  
 _part 2 of 5_

Maya stopped walking when she reached the doors out to the lot, staring out the windows with a sigh. She didn't know what had just gotten into her, why she had felt the need to leave the exhibit, and her art... why she'd walked from _him_.

Hadn't things been going so well between them lately? Their friendship had never been so strong, and sometimes it felt like maybe they could be... more than that. And she hadn't been hurt by what he'd said, far from it, she'd been touched, that he should think that about her when she often had difficulty believing it for herself... Except...

Except they had been here before, hadn't they? They had come close to something, and it had almost wrecked everything. She didn't want to have them go down that road again if it was only going to end up in more disappointment. But what was she going to do, just keep running away any time they came close again? Would he still call her strong then? She knew _she_ wouldn't.

She walked outside. Maybe the air would make her better again, clear out the clutter. Sooner or later, she had to go back to the exhibit... and she would have to face him again. With any luck, he would only think she'd gone to the bathroom...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	103. Day 103 Apr 12th - Strong 3

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THREE**  
 **APRIL 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Strong" _(five days)_  
 _part 3 of 5_

All he could think as he moved down one hall and another, looking for her, was... 'What did I do? Did I hurt her? How? I didn't mean to...'

He had been asked a question, and he had answered honestly, and she... she had gone away, from him, from the exhibit, with her art. He didn't know what he could have said or done to upset her, but all he wanted to do now was find her and make it better.

The last thing he'd ever want to do was to cause her any pain, not Maya. She was one of his best friends, and he liked her, very much... so very much; he might even think sometimes that he... well... He had to find her.

He knew that things between them had been complicated lately, but she mattered so much more to him than any of that.

"Maya?" he called out, hoping she would reply. "Maya, where are you?"

He passed around a corner, and one brief look to the left had given him a sight of the blonde, standing outside, looking up at the sky. She had her arms wrapped around herself, like she was cold, or maybe... like she was lost in thought. Whichever one it was, he moved to join her, knowing he wanted nothing more in that moment but to provide her with whatever comfort she needed.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	104. Day 104 Apr 13th - Strong 4

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR**  
 **APRIL 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Strong" _(five days)_  
 _part 4 of 5_

"Maya?"

She turned when she heard him, feeling at once cornered with facing up to how she'd run from him.

"Are you okay?"

"Sure I am, Ranger Rick, why wouldn't I be?"

"You just sort of... left, all of a sudden, and I thought maybe... Why did you go like that? Was it about what I said?" She didn't know how to answer him, not honestly. She couldn't make herself even say the words. She looked down at her feet, nudged at a pebble on the ground.

"What you said," she repeated, trying to get a response started, but her pause only made him believe that, yes, that was why she ran away. He stepped up.

"Is it that you don't think it's true? That you're not strong? Because you are, Maya. You're one of the strongest people I know." She looked back up at him when he said this.

"I am?" she asked, couldn't help herself. "Lucas, look, I... It means a lot that you said it, and that you think it, really, it does. And it's not the reason that I walked out, but..." She breathed out, looking away. Why did she have to even say it? Wouldn't he know already?

"Oh..." he spoke then, and she turned back. By the look on his face, maybe he did know. But then what did it mean, if she knew, and he knew, and they stood here, facing each other, all alone...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	105. Day 105 Apr 14th - Strong 5

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE**  
 **APRIL 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Strong" _(five days)_  
 _part 5 of 5_

"I should go back in there," Maya walked back inside. She couldn't do this, not now. She knew how it would end, how it always ended, and she couldn't, not now.

"Wait," Lucas came after her, and she stopped. He came around to face her. "Why did you go?" he asked, and she sighed.

"Because I know where this is going to go, and I can't... I can't have it be here, right now. I have the exhibit, which is already almost too much for me, and the last thing I want is to go through the rest of it, having to pretend like I haven't been reminded of what I can't have. You might think I'm strong, but I'm sorry, I'm not that strong, so can we just go back inside and not... go there?"

What had stalled her was him, taking a step toward her, with that look in his eyes, and then she was caught on the spot. She had been here before, and she couldn't...

"Don't," she spoke, looking into his eyes. "I mean, don't... do like last time... I can't..."

That was the moment it had all changed for them, and for her, when the past had not repeated. And when she had gone back to the exhibit, she had been one welcoming artist, her heart still in a tremor, her smiles uncontrollable and warm, coming when she least expected them, like this night had been.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	106. Day 106 Apr 15th - Move

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIX**  
 **APRIL 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Move" _(one day)_

They had been going along with this routine for so long, but the more it went on, the more they came to see... just how much it was getting to be too complicated for no reason at all. They'd be staying the night at her place, then at his, and it would never feel like they were content.

In the end, Lucas had been the one to say it: they should move in together. He'd said it with confidence, but on the inside he was terrified.

"So then... who moves in with who?" Maya had slowly asked back. Potential.

"It could be either of us, I guess. Or we could both move, find a new place. We can find it together," he offered. He watched her slowly ponder to herself.

"Well... my place is kind of far... and you have creepy neighbors... Starting out fresh, we could really make something..." she spoke as she thought. He smiled. "We could definitely do that, yeah. And as roommates go, I think you'd be a pretty solid one... so I've heard... Okay, Huckleberry, I say we go for it," she beamed, and he pulled her into a kiss.

"Wait, what neighbors are the creepy ones?"

"Who cares, they won't be for long," she shrugged. "But put that on the list, better neighbors, otherwise no deal."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	107. Day 107 Apr 16th - Horse

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVEN**  
 **APRIL 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Horse" _(one day)_

The first time he'd seen her ride on a horse was the second time she had come down to Texas with him. The first visit had been so focused on Tombstone and that whole competition, but this time would be different. He wanted all of them to have fun, to see the life he had left behind here. He'd taken them to the stable that day, and while the rest of them had already ridden off, he'd found her on her own, looking after one of the horses.

"What's the matter, aren't you coming?"

"Take it easy, Howdy, we're just becoming pals here, me and Butternut. I don't know who named you, but it suits you," she brushed the horse with a gentle hand; he seemed to enjoy it, and that made her happy. "When I get out there, you just wait, we're going to leave you all in the dust."

"Oh," he stepped up. "Is that a challenge?"

"I don't know, is it?" she looked back at him, meeting his competitive gaze.

"Alright, you're on, Hart." She pointed to the horse. "And Butternut, yeah."

"If I win, I get to call _you_ Butternut as long as we're here in Texas."

"And if I win?" he asked; she chuckled.

"Yeah, we'll see, let's not get ahead of ourselves," she led the horse out.

"Let me guess, you'll call me Butternut anyway?"

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	108. Day 108 Apr 17th - Transfer

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT**  
 **APRIL 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Transfer" _(one day)_

Somewhere on their second date, they'd started talking about his school back in Texas, his friends, his teachers. Maya had asked him about when he'd known he would be leaving, transferring to New York. She'd known about how he'd had trouble adjusting, being away from his old friends.

"But you got through it," she nodded. "We helped, didn't we?" He nodded back.

"You did more than that, you know it." She smiled, a joking sort of humble shrug. "Right about now, I've never been happier we left Texas," he told her, and she felt her cheeks warmer in a moment.

It was the sort of overwhelming feeling she had been having ever since they'd kissed, ever since he had asked her out. She'd been transported off on a bubble, somewhere the world couldn't touch them. Now they were here, and hearing him now, she knew the sentiment was mutual.

"Right now... so am I," she told him, and he smiled, that smile that had been making her feel like the sun shined on her ever since he had come into her life. "The important thing is... we're both here now, physically, and... and emotionally," she went on. "We are, aren't we?"

Lucas reached out for her hand, and she reached back to give it to him, thinking of a slip of paper in a metal box, buried in the ground.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	109. Day 109 Apr 18th - Anxious

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINE**  
 **APRIL 18TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Anxious" _(one day)_

He'd vaguely seen the clock showing 2:27am when she'd woken him and declared they had to go to the store right away. He was half, if not a solid 90% asleep, which might have accounted for how they had gotten as far as the checkout line for him to realize this wasn't a dream. And once he did, he finally saw what it was that had sent them off on this errand in the middle of the night.

"Wait, that's a..." He followed her. "Maya... Maya, wait, hold on, are you sure, you..."

"Of course I'm not sure, that's why they have tests, so you can be sure. Keep up, okay?"

"Now?" he asked: they were going into the bathroom, and he had never sweated so much all at once.

She looked calm, but maybe she was covering. All he could do was stand there, almost three in the morning, in a drugstore bathroom, him and her, staring at a stick, waiting.

"Hey..." he looked at her. She wouldn't look away from the test; now he could see how nervous she was, like he was, at the prospect of it all. "No matter what happens, you know I'm going to be..."

"I know you are. That's like the one thing I'm not worrying about right now, which is... oddly reassuring. Lucas... look," she pulled at his hand so he would look again. And there it was... Positive.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	110. Day 110 Apr 19th - Chance 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TEN**  
 **APRIL 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Chance" _(two days)_  
 _part 1 of 2_

There it was... +... Positive.

His hand clamped around hers. This was really happening, wasn't it? The two of them... and a baby. For about a minute he couldn't speak so much as think, and it felt like the whole world had knocked him so far back. He stood here, holding the hand of the woman he had only married a month before, and they were being propelled into this next step in their lives all at once... and he felt good.

He felt like he had lucked out. To have been yanked from one life and into another and allowed to meet _her,_ to have everything with her, now getting even more, he could not say if chance even covered the bill.

The more he got to think about it, about them having a child, a little son or daughter, of them becoming a family, he felt elated, not even a wink asleep anymore. He looked at her, and maybe it was the old clich , but to him she had never looked more beautiful. But she hadn't spoken yet either, and he didn't want to say anything yet, not until he knew where she was at.

"Maya?" He moved to face her, and she looked up at him. "Are you okay?" he asked. She still looked at him like she was processing it all, and he knew he had to let her, even if right about now, all he wanted to do was to pick her up in his arms and holler.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	111. Day 111 Apr 20th - Chance 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN**  
 **APRIL 20TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Chance" _(two days)_  
 _part 2 of 2_

There it was... +... Positive. She'd been feeling it for two days, in her mind she had already known, but now... Now it was real. Now she knew there was really a tiny little Huckleberry growing inside her. For two days she had been holding this possible baby by herself, until tonight, when she couldn't take it anymore and she'd dragged him out here.

"Maya? Are you okay?"

He was looking at her, and oh she could see it in his eyes. He was so happy, too, like she had been, since she'd started to consider it, but at the same time, now that it was confirmed, all she could feel was fear, and at once she was that angry and lonely kid she had been, and that one was terrified at what she might be as a parent, even though she knew deep in her heart that she would love this little thing like she had never loved any one other person in her life.

Once she remembered that, and she saw his joy waiting to burst, she finally smiled, and in half a heartbeat, her feet had been pulled off the ground. She held fast to him as he held her, and finally she could be certain that all that her angry kid self had gone through had been worth it, because it had brought her here, and made her who she was and she could not be luckier.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	112. Day 112 Apr 21st - Control

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE**  
 **APRIL 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Control" _(one day)_

Some days it was the most difficult thing in the world, to share a look and not linger there. Maybe it was exaggerating, but it wasn't so far off. It felt as though you had to focus all your energy, to control yourself and not speak in haste.

It wasn't as though the feelings weren't mutual; at least they had both confessed as much. But there was everything else, and it was an exhaustive task, to navigate what could and could not be done, or said...

You had to stop and remember why you hadn't acted before, and try and get a hold of yourself, unless you wanted to widen the gap even further. Some days, all you wanted was to make it all stop, but stop how? To abandon the possibility they could ever be more than friends, or to make a gamble and make the grand gesture so they just might make it happen?

They'd tried it all before, and this is where they'd ended up. So this was where they stood, attempting to keep control, not to move forward or backward but maintain what they had. Even then, all the control in the world wouldn't hold forever, and the longer it lasted, the closer they got to a snap, a break.

Worst of all was that they both knew very well that they were both stuck in the same place.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	113. Day 113 Apr 22nd - Right

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN**  
 **APRIL 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Right" _(one day)_

They were all acting out of the ordinary, he had to make it right, and of all of them, it was Maya's transformation that turned out to have affected him the most.

She might have called him their moral compass, but in many ways, _she_ was his, and seeing her this way left him to feel as though the whole world had gone wrong. Maya Hart was so secure in who she was, or he'd believed that she was, but then this morning, she was here, but she wasn't.

The wig, the clothes, the inflection... The girl sitting before him was _not_ Maya Hart. She was trying to be Riley, and he could hardly see her through it...

He needed her back. Him and her, they could make it all right again, if only they were on the same page. But he was helpless, and it was all he could do not to beg with her, to be his Maya, the real Maya, who called him names and got up in his face. He would have taken an 'Ha-hurr' right here and now, just to know she was still herself.

But he didn't know how to get her there. She was stubborn in following whatever path she chose, even if that path meant turning her into anything but her right self.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	114. Day 114 Apr 23rd - Yearbook

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN**  
 **APRIL 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Yearbook" _(one day)_

When she'd finally gotten her own copy, she had tried to go along as though she wouldn't jump straight to _that_ page. She had stuck the book in her bag and willed it into non existence, until she was back home, in her room, and then she pulled it out, thumbing through the pages until it was there, staring her in the face.

Favorite couple. Who had even taken the picture, and why hadn't she known? Fine, maybe that wasn't really the important part, but... Everyone else, they had been seeing them, and _this_ was what they saw, but her...

She was going through her days, trying _not_ to see it, or trying not to behave as though... Still, there was a part of her who saw this picture and felt something like the smallest of thrills, who felt it was a good thing. Maya wished she could pretend like it was the only voice she heard.

"Maya?" her mother's voice startled her, and she snapped the book closed.

"I'm in my room," she called back, wondering how long she'd been sitting there, staring at this one photo.

"Oh, you got your yearbook, can I see it?"

"I... uh... sure," she handed it over, with no better alternative. The moment she saw the photo, Maya wouldn't hear the end of it, and she wished she'd never brought it home.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	115. Day 115 Apr 24th - Blonde

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN**  
 **APRIL 24TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Blonde" _(one day)_

The Blonde Beauty. When Zay told her about how he'd called her that, Lucas felt like the ground had just fallen out from under him. He could not believe Zay had... No, he took that back. It was just like him. Even so...

He had told him, in those very words, once. They'd been video chatting, when Zay was not yet here in New York. Back then, as far as he'd known, his friend in Texas and his friends in New York would never interact, not this way, and maybe for that, he had confided in him with an openness he would never had taken, if he thought it might get out, although...

Now that it was out, he couldn't say why he'd felt this way. Why was he so afraid for her to know he thought she was beautiful? She _was_ , and he knew it, and he had said it, but... He had not been ready for her to hear it coming from him, in those specific words, knowing he had said them, that he'd talked about her to someone else in this way. What would it mean, now that it was out there?

When she'd heard it though... She had reacted, with surprise, and almost sounded touched, while he was feeling much too visible. In the future, he would have to learn to guard his words...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	116. Day 116 Apr 25th - Hands

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN**  
 **APRIL 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hands" _(one day)_

He could watch her hands for so long, as she drew, painted... Her hands could be all he saw, and he would know what was going through her mind. Her hands moved to the tune of her thoughts.

They paused, mid stroke, continually primed to start again, when she tried to decide what to do next. They flexed a certain way when she was dissatisfied, they flitted when inspiration struck. When she was working on her art, her hands seemed like they were at peace, finally doing what they'd been created for: they came alive in a whole other way than they did at any other time. He hadn't noticed it at first, but once he had, he couldn't not see it anymore.

How she hadn't caught him was a wonder, but it was absolutely for the best. The last thing he needed was for her to brand him a creep; she'd probably find him a new name and he would not like it. Being so taken with her hands though, he had discovered her as an artist, her talent and how much it mattered to her. Someday, when the art classes would be threatened at their school, it would make him that much more motivated to back her up, to do all he could to make certain she didn't have to lose something that mattered so much to her, that made her come alive, from head, and heart, and hands.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	117. Day 117 Apr 26th - Desk

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN**  
 **APRIL 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Desk" _(one day)_

She hadn't been doing it on purpose, at least not that she could recall. She hadn't even realized it until Mr. Matthews had pointed it out, straight up called her on it. He had pointed at how much she would lean back against Lucas' desk all through class, and how she _didn't_ when he wasn't around.

Once she'd been made aware of it, there had been a few days where she'd knowingly prevented herself from doing it. Two things had come of this experiment. The first was that she felt uncomfortable, out of place somehow. The second thing that happened was Lucas coming up to her in the hall after class to ask if she was okay and whether he had done anything to upset her, and on their next class day, she had resumed her stance as she'd been carrying it.

If her restraint was an experiment, then the result was clear. She needed to keep doing as she'd done before Mr. Matthews had made her notice. She felt better when she did, and evidently so did Lucas, so who was she to do anything different? If anyone had a problem with it, well they would either have to deal with it or make them switch seats. On second thought, they would just have to deal with it.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	118. Day 118 Apr 27th - Step

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN**  
 **APRIL 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Step" _(one day)_

It had been three days since the exhibit, three days since he had kissed her, and all weekend long she had wondered what would happen when they saw each other again. When they'd gone their separate ways on Friday night, it had been with a light 'see you Monday.'

Now Monday had come, and her stomach had been in knots waiting for the moment where they'd unpause. What was going to happen next, that was what she needed so bad, and she would go mad if it went on any...

"Hey..."

Lucas.

"Hi," she took a step forward, breathing in. He looked like he had been waiting, too. She started to speak right when he did, and she held up her hands to stop them both. "Would you like to speak first?"

"You're letting..." he started, surprised, but then he cleared his throat and nodded. "Maya, I... I haven't been able to stop thinking about Friday night, and I know that last time we tried it didn't go well..."

"Last time?" Maya asked slowly, carefully.

"We're finally headed in the right direction, so... I want us to keep going, one step at a time."

"And what's the next one?" she tried not to sound more anxious than she had to.

"Will you go out with me? Do-over first date? No smoothies." She chuckled, split into the same smile which had been crawling over her face all weekend, and she nodded.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	119. Day 119 Apr 28th - Resist

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN**  
 **APRIL 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Resist" _(one day)_

The challenge had seemed simple. She could not use any of her nicknames for him for a week. There was no prize on the end; he just wanted to see if she could do it, if she was even willing to try. Naturally, she had said yes with all the confidence in the world, because what could possibly overpower her need to show she could do it?

The first day had been easy, though every time she said his name it felt almost like he could hear what she had meant to say, and how much she would have loved to say it. She persisted through the second and third days, even though Lucas would shamelessly and repeatedly bait her.

The fourth day had been infuriating, and the fifth... Oh, the fifth had been near impossible, but she'd stuck it out, and in the last minute of last period she had turned to face him with a contained smirk, a patient smirk. In his mind, the key words were 'oh no.'

The seconds were ticking away, and he knew the moment she didn't have to hold back anymore, she would be letting it all out. He would be flattened to the ground. He looked at the clock. Ten, nine, eight... She was sitting up, so patient. Three, two, one...

"Good afternoon... Lucas."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	120. Day 120 Apr 29th - Project

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY**  
 **APRIL 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Project" _(one day)_

It would be the first time they spent any extended time together, just the two of them. It _was_ for a school project, sure, but it was something, and for all she could be feeling, chief among her emotions was rising curiosity. He was taking her to his home, to the place where he wasn't just the new guy, Ranger Rick out of Texas. What would she find there? That was all she could think.

"My mom will be home soon, we should get started before that happens. Once she sees you..."

"What happens when she sees me?" she asked.

"She starts to talk, and she doesn't stop... All she'll care about is that I brought a girl home, not that we have a project."

"A project about cupcakes," Maya frowned.

"Then she'll be even worse," he sighed, and she chuckled. "What?" he asked, nervous.

"The way I see it, your mom is starting to sound like the kind who pulls out photo albums, you know the kind, weird hair cuts, bath tubs, the whole deal. You've got some skeleton in your closet, Huckleberry? The one that's... through this door?" she reached back to touch it.

"You know all those names you call me, even though I don't act like that? My mom, she's the real deal, which means..."

"Which means," Maya's eyes glinted, "I really, really need to meet her."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	121. Day 121 Apr 30th - Trouble 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE**  
 **APRIL 30TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Trouble" _(three days)_  
 _part 1 of 3_

Sitting in detention, Maya hardly felt out of place. She'd had more than her fair share. Still, there could be the occasional surprise... like Lucas Friar, walking in with his own 'ticket to hell.'

"Well, if it isn't Ranger Rick," she sat back as he took his seat, like a reflex, behind her. "What brings you to these parts?" When he didn't reply, Maya leaned back a little further, waiting until the teacher returned to his papers before she turned to Lucas. "So what did you do?" she whispered.

"It's a long story," he whispered back.

"In case you haven't noticed, we have loads of time here, so go on, spill."

"Fine, maybe I just don't want to."

"That bad, huh?" she asked, and seeing what almost seemed like shame in his eyes, she briefly turned back forward. "Look, it'll stay between us, detention privilege," she finally added quietly. He didn't take the offer. "Fine, okay."

Minutes passed in silence, and she tried to keep it that way, but it was stronger than her, and she made another turn.

"Not even one little hint, Huckleberry?"

"Fine," he started, and she waited, knowing how it had gone last time. "I'll tell you how I got here if you do the same first."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	122. Day 122 May 1st - Trouble 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO**  
 **MAY 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Trouble" _(three days)_  
 _part 2 of 3_

"I'll tell you how I got here if you do the same first."

That was his condition, and after a second, she carefully turned to face forward again, settling in to show her intention not to turn again by pulling a book open.

"Oh, what's happening now?" Lucas leaned forward to whisper at her. "You have nothing to say anymore? So _I'm_ supposed to tell you how I got detention, but _you_ won't do the same? I'm sorry, but I don't think that's fair. What, just because I never get stuck here but you always find a way to..." Her shoulders squared, and by the time she'd turned on him again, he had muttered a rapid "I'm sorry," this one a full apologetic version. "I didn't mean it, not like that, I..." She turned forward and raised her hand, until the teacher looked.

"Can I switch seats? I need air," she pointed to the window, and when she got a nod, she stood and gathered her things.

"Maya, I'm really sorry, please..." She moved to her new seat, dropping on the chair and turning to stare out the window.

What was it about him calling her out on this, on anything that was, in full honesty, the truth? Why did it hurt so much? When detention was over, she couldn't get out of there fast enough, even though she knew he would catch up in no time.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	123. Day 123 May 2nd - Trouble 3

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREE**  
 **MAY 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Trouble" _(three days)_  
 _part 3 of 3_

He almost missed her, and he was relieved that he didn't. He didn't want to leave this hanging until the next day. She was near the exit when she paused and he fell in step with her; she wouldn't look over.

"Maya..." he started, waited. "I'm really..."

"I know you are, and repeating it again won't actually make me feel better, okay?"

"Then what will? Tell me, and I'll do it."

"It doesn't work like that, Huckleberry." He would have felt worse if she'd called him Lucas; this had potential.

"What if I tell you something really embarrassing about myself? You can use it, give me another name, tell the whole school, whatever you want..."

"As tempting as that is... I just need to let it pass, got it? Tomorrow we'll be back here, and I'll act like it never happened."

"But it did, and I didn't want to upset you."

"But you did," she shrugged. "Like I said, let me deal with it, and it'll be fine."

"What about us?" he asked as she moved past him. "Are we fine?" She turned back.

"You're my friend, okay? Friends say dumb things. You can't win them all."

The next day, it was as she'd promised. No one could know by looking at her that she'd looked at him the way she had the day before. She'd moved on, and he had to do the same.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	124. Day 124 May 3rd - Gift

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR**  
 **MAY 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Gift" _(one day)  
(tie-in to "Art 3", day 007 (January 7th))_

He had it in his bag the rest of the day until he'd get home, and much as it took up space, he didn't mind it at all. This gift of a painting meant so much to him. He had believed in something, believed in Maya Hart, in her talent, and of the many returns, including the protection of art class, this painting would stand as the one that would matter most to him.

All he had wanted was to help her. Yes, it had benefited plenty more kids out there, but if he was honest, of course he'd have to admit he had done it for her specifically. And now he had this painting, made by her, for him, and he knew he would hold on to it. She had told him he didn't have to keep it, that it was no big deal, but he knew that it was, and the only way she would allow herself to see it, too, was it she understood how much it genuinely meant to him.

When he got home, he went into his room and stopped to look around. He hadn't thought about it until now, but the painting sort of fit with the room. If he hung it up, it wouldn't clash: it would compliment. Had Maya done this knowingly, or unconsciously? He couldn't say, but either way, it only made him more certain that the painting belonged on his wall.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	125. Day 125 May 4th - Type

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE**  
 **MAY 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Type" _(one day)_

Once, she'd told him he was not her type. It had been an off hand sort of thing, due to a small misunderstanding, only now it had been over a year, so much had happened, and she had no clue why it had come to her all of a sudden, why it kept coming to her.

Back then, she might have believed it, or chosen to believe it. Back then she couldn't see who he really was underneath the cowboy persona she had given him, but she had slowly found him under there, little by little, slowly but surely.

He might have been exactly her type, more than she could expect, and maybe... that scared her a little. Okay, maybe it scared her a lot, and it only got scarier, the more she learned.

So much had changed, but not all of it. He hadn't, she hadn't, and their situation... No, she _had_ changed, just... maybe not enough, not yet. And all she could think was that, one day, she would be ready, all ready, and she would find she was too late. Maybe that was why the memory would not leave her alone. Maybe it was trying to tell her something. Take your shot now, worry about the fix later.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	126. Day 126 May 5th - Imagine 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX**  
 **MAY 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Imagine" _(four days)_  
 _part 1 of 4_

Mr. Matthews had told them all to take out a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil. Amidst groans of apprehension mixed with curiosity, he had set out the assignment for them, which they could begin here in class but would complete at home. The premise was simple: he wanted them to imagine their future.

"You'll have everyone asking you about your plans for the future. What school do you want to go to, what career are you after? But the future is about you as much as all that. So what do you want for yourself?"

The class had descended into quiet contemplation after this, some starting to write almost instantly, while others stared into nothing or down at their blank sheets of paper. Whether they were dozing off or simply getting lost in thought was anyone's guess.

On second thought, Maya was most likely sound asleep, as she was, more often than her teachers would like her to be.

One seat behind her, Lucas was awake, but his eyes were fixated on the back of her head, moving to the rhythm of her resting breath, his mind as far away from class as it could ever be said to be, although it had taken the assigned question along for the ride.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	127. Day 127 May 6th - Imagine 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN**  
 **MAY 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Imagine" _(four days)_  
 _part 2 of 4_

In his mind, he saw himself looking a lot like his father, tall and strong looking. But he was still his own person, and that was who he needed to be. He certainly looked happy.

It was difficult to say if he was picturing himself in New York or Texas. It looked like it could have been either of them, to be honest. The one thing he knew for sure was that it felt like a place he wanted to be in, a place where a family might have a good life, day after day, year after year...

And for sure, as he looked around, it felt as though this was exactly who lived here, a family, him with a wife, and children... It wasn't something he gave too much thought to, at his age, but suddenly he'd had to consider it and that had been his immediate image of what he wanted for his life.

He was smiling to himself, and in his mind he felt as though there were arms wrapped around his middle, a head nestled against his back, and he took a breath, his mind identifying the scent in his thoughts. It was a familiar scent, one that he caught so many times, as he sat in class. It felt, up in his daydreams, like his future self was as enthralled by it as he was.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	128. Day 128 May 7th - Imagine 3

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT**  
 **MAY 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Imagine" _(four days)_  
 _part 3 of 4_

In her mind, she was sure she would have seen herself in a great big house, carefully decorated, all neat, showing any number of comforts _she_ had not known growing up. This was about what they wanted for themselves, wasn't it?

But when it came down to it, apparently her innermost ideas were of a different kind. The home she pictured was not pristine, or made to reflect some great rise in society. The home she pictured, in many ways, was like her own. It was bigger, sure, but it felt very much lived in, like she had made something wonderful here, something she had wanted and worked for, more than fame, success, or money...

She sat there on the couch, leaning against his shoulder, the both of them buried beneath the weight of sleeping children, with all the comfort and ease in the world. They were a family, the kind she had once imagined for herself, suddenly she pictured for... them, these made up children, she knew she wanted to know, and raise, and love, under this cozy roof that was all theirs, hers... and his.

She didn't have to turn her head up to know whose arm was draped protectively around her. His presence was as powerful as it always was, and it had conjured up this once impossible dream in her head.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	129. Day 129 May 8th - Imagine 4

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE**  
 **MAY 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Imagine" _(four days)_  
 _part 4 of 4_

The bell rang, and when Maya was startled awake, she in turn jerked Lucas out of his own daydream, causing his leg to kick out and meet her chair. She turned quickly in response, and she didn't know what to say, her mind still halfway somewhere else. But then one look at him and it was clear that she wasn't the only one who'd dozed off.

"Sweet dreams, Huckleberry?" she asked.

"I wasn't... I mean I didn't..." he laughed awkwardly as they both stood and began to gather their things. "Did you write any..."

"What would I write, it's not like I've really thought about it," she shrugged.

"Yeah, no, me neither," he followed her out.

"You didn't?" she slowly asked after a beat. She looked at him, and he looked back, as though he couldn't find the words.

"I don't know," he replied. It almost came off like a question, one he didn't want to answer. She could let him off the hook though. The thought that he might ask her the same question left her just as evasive.

"Guess I'll have to figure something out. It's not like we can really know, can we?" she asked, looking up at him. He looked back at her, a nervous sort of smile on his face, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Right, it's early," he agreed confidently.

"So early," she agreed back. "We've got time."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	130. Day 130 May 9th - Dialogue

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY**  
 **MAY 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Dialogue" _(one day)_

 _L: Hey, can we talk?_

 _M: Isn't that what we did before? Except in person, not with our fingers?_

 _L: I just wanted to say I had a great time tonight, and I hope you did, too._

 _L: Maya?_

 _M: I'm here. I had a really good time, too._

 _M: You're smiling now, aren't you?_

 _L: Kind of, yeah. You?_

 _M: Kind of, yeah. Ha ha._

 _L: So does this mean there will be a second date? Because I'd like that very much._

 _M: All signs point to yes, Huckleberry._

 _M: But if I were you, I'd do my asking in person. It's not the same when I can't see you break into a smile._

 _L: Ok, well I do that pretty much whenever you're around, so..._

 _M: Good point, fair enough._

 _M: Hey, Lucas?_

 _L: Yeah?_

 _M: I'm really glad we did this._

 _L: So am I, Maya._

 _M: But really though. It took so long, and now we're here, and it's..._

 _L: It's what? Still here?_

 _L: Maya?_

 _M: It's better than what I ever imagined._

 _L: I'll ask in person next time, I promise._

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	131. Day 131 May 10th - Begin

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE**  
 **MAY 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Begin" _(one day)_

His hands were clasped together in front of himself as he waited; it seemed the easiest way not to show how they were shaking.

But then the doors opened, and he forgot about all that the moment he saw her, on Shawn's arm. The smile on her face was nothing short of a blow to his knees, making it even harder to stand up straight, but he did, smiling back, and giving all available effort not to cry as they approached.

He could never have expected how it would feel, to see her coming up that aisle, in that dress... He kept her gaze the entire time, and the thought that came to him instantly was that every moment had led them here, and now... now they were truly beginning. They had their lives, his own, and her own. Today was the beginning of their life together, made official, with ceremony, with rings, and with more love than they had felt before.

When she came up, he held out his hand and took hers; it was trembling as much as his own, and when she felt it, too, they both broke and laughed. They didn't have to say a word, looking into one another's eyes, they knew. The road had been long, but now they'd made it, and they never wanted to turn back. They were ready to go.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	132. Day 132 May 11th - Sweet 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO**  
 **MAY 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Sweet" _(two days)_  
 _part 1 of 2_

There were things he had discovered in the weeks since he and Maya had become a couple. There were things he could say, could do, that he never would have thought he could before.

For example, just today, they'd arrived at school, and when she'd seen him, she had hurried over, telling him about something funny she had witnessed on the way over, and without notice she had taken both his hands in each of her own as she spoke, keeping them at a short distance the likes of which would once have seemed unexpected and a little startling.

Instead, now it made him feel like he'd been granted something special, precious, and it made him smile as she spoke.

"What?" she asked, sensing it didn't have to do with her story. She was smiling, too, like even without context, his smile was all she needed to know it was good.

"Nothing," he told her with a shrug. When she looked about to protest, he looked down either end of the hallway before leaning in to kiss her. There'd be no need of words. Right here, she'd know, his smile was because of her, being with her, and what it meant to him. When she looked back at him, it was right there in her eyes.

"Do we have to go to class right now?" she asked as they started walking, "Matthews is going to crush my mood."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	133. Day 133 May 12th - Sweet 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE**  
 **MAY 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Sweet" _(two days)_  
 _part 2 of 2_

 _A/N: Like I could have stopped myself after that picture ;)_

He stopped, an idea halting him. Turning to Maya, he gave her a smirk.

"Hop on," he told her, pointing back.

"Wait, what?" she blinked up at him.

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let anyone 'crush your mood?'" he asked. "I'll get you so that no one will do a thing to that smile."

That was good enough for her. In a moment, she was clinging to his back.

"I don't know what kind you'd be, but I know what kind you are, and that's the only one that matters. Let's go, Horse."

Happily so, he hurried her down the hallway, around the corner and up to the classroom door. He could feel her cheek pressed to his, and he knew just the look he'd find on her face when he set her down. He couldn't see the others staring, not now. It was just her.

"Thanks for the ride, Huckleberry Horse," she told him, with a smile that was looking to burst wide as ever if she didn't keep it under control, and watching her actively try and keep it down, he knew his mission was accomplished.

"Anytime," he nodded down at her.

"Are you sure you want to make that kind of promise? You know I won't forget."

"I wouldn't want you to either."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	134. Day 134 May 13th - Bond

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR**  
 **MAY 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Bond" _(one day)_

In the little time they had known each other, he had understood quickly she would not grant her full friendship so easily. She was guarded in a lot of ways, and for what he knew, for personal experiences, he could do nothing but accept it.

Still, there was a moment, one instant when he knew that, given time, she could be one of his very best friends. The second Farkle had pointed to her painting, asking after her half of a mother, he had reached to silence him, and he'd met Maya's look back to him.

He hadn't needed a single moment to think. He'd just known it would hurt her, and he didn't want her to be, not here, not now or ever. It was all in her eyes, and right then there was no doubt about it. They may have been growing as friends, in a bond fed almost entirely on nicknames, tricks, and jokes, but this time it was different.

He didn't say anything, and neither did she: she didn't have to. That was something else he was discovering about their friendship, how more often than not, he didn't have to say a word, same as her, and they knew where they stood. Oh, but he wouldn't give up the words any sooner, not hers.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	135. Day 135 May 14th - Rose

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE**  
 **MAY 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Rose" _(one day)_

It was Emily Friar's first big school dance, or at least it felt that way to her at thirteen years old. She had gone to buy a dress with her mother and everything.

Her mother would be there as chaperone, and so would her father. When they arrived at the school gym, she went to find her friends for a moment, but when she turned back, something caught her eye. Her father had just handed her mother a single red rose. He'd said something and she'd laughed, replying and, for a moment, holding the flower between her teeth, to which her father gave a nod.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked as she moved back to their side. "What's so funny?" she asked them curiously.

"It's nothing," her mother smirked. "Just your dad, he likes to play games," she said.

"Like I'm the only one," her father countered.

"Well, okay, I didn't say that," her mother confessed, just as her father pulled out a second rose and presented it to her. Emily beamed, taking the flower happily.

"You're saving me a dance, right?" he asked, pointing down at her with hope.

"I promise," Emily told him. "You can dance with Mom until then. Later!"

"Did you hear that, Huckleberry?" she heard her mother say as she dashed off. "I get you all to myself for now."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	136. Day 136 May 15th - Rules 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIX**  
 **MAY 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Rules" _(two days)_  
 _part 1 of 2_

 _A/N: This prompt was inspired by a certain someone, you know who you are ;)_

He was still thinking about what she had wanted him to help her with, how annoyed she'd been when he'd told her he couldn't. If he still looked mildly confused when Zay came and found him, he didn't notice.

"If anyone asks, I came here to work on a very important last minute project."

"Is 'anyone' your mother?" he guessed.

"Maybe..." Zay tried to brush it off. "Maybe she was going to make me watch one of those girly movies with her, you know the ones? Two idiots who take two hours to see the one who wants them back is right there, and it's just one thing after another to stop them from doing what they want to do. It frustrates me... as a romantic," he sat up straight.

Lucas turned to look at him, but he could hardly see him, his mind gone.

"What?" Zay asked, looking around.

"I'm an idiot," Lucas stood and moved to grab his jacket and run out quick.

"I wasn't suggesting anything!" he heard Zay shout after him, but he was already gone.

He had one thing and one thing alone on his mind right now, and nothing would get in his way anymore, not hesitation, or rules, and least of all himself. He had to find her, he had to get to her. His two hours were almost up.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	137. Day 137 May 16th - Rules 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN**  
 **MAY 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Rules" _(two days)_  
 _part 2 of 2_

 _A/N: This prompt was inspired by a certain someone, you know who you are ;)_

He thought he might be too late, but when he arrived there she was, waiting. She only seemed half surprised to see him jogging toward her. She also looked annoyed.

"So what happened, Ranger Rick, did you change your mind, or are you here to stop me? If it's that one, then go. Right now I don't need a cowboy, okay?" He smiled. "What's so funny?" she asked, taking a step toward him. "Come here to help or not?"

"I definitely did not come for that." She reached out quick, yanked a handful of shirt and pulled him so he'd be looking into her eyes.

It took him back to another moment, to painted faces, only this time was not that time, and this time, being near her was exactly where he wanted to be. When she stared at him, he felt his clock tick away to zero, and he did what he should have done a long time ago, maybe as far back as the last time she'd had him in her grasp this way, and he kissed her, letting action do what words never could have.

She didn't let go, but he could feel her hand stuck between them, gripped in the surprise she must have felt, but then relaxed into something like gladness, like relief. There'd be no clock on them, not anymore.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	138. Day 138 May 17th - Intention

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT**  
 **MAY 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Intention" _(one day)_

How many times... How many times had she meant to do it? How many times had she given up and turned away? Even in the beginning, she didn't have it all figured out, but some part of her must have, because she'd look at him, and she'd get that same little feeling down in her gut.

Words, there to be spoken, but never realized. Now it was different, she knew better, and she could feel her failures when they came.

What would it take for her to look at him and say what she meant to say? It never happened, and worse was she expected it now. She knew she wouldn't manage to speak the truth. It made her want to get angry, at no one but herself. She was Maya Hart, she was tiny but mighty, she had plenty of people quaking in their boots... even him, sometimes. Why couldn't she pull herself together, look him in the eye, and tell him:

'Hey, Lucas, I like you. Not just as friends, although there's that, too, sure. I like you because when you're there, I feel like I could burst. You make me happy, so much I don't know how to bear it sometimes, and I've never felt like that before. And I look at you... and I think I see it in you, too. So let's do something, okay?'

How many times... How many times...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	139. Day 139 May 18th - Lucky

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-NINE**  
 **MAY 18TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Lucky" _(one day)_

He should not have fished it out of his pocket so plainly. He'd only just slipped it back when her voice startled him.

"What's that?" she asked, laughing in amusement at the look on his face.

"What was what?" he replied, taking two steps back. She only followed.

"The thing you just put in your pocket."

"Nothing, just a quarter," he dodged, and again she matched him, step for step.

"A quarter. And you just felt like looking at it for a second because..." She wasn't going to let it go, and he didn't want to test whether or not she would be bold enough to try and get it out of his pocket all by herself.

"It's a..." he mumbled quickly and quietly.

"It's a what?" she waited, grinning on.

"Lucky quarter I fished out of a pond."

"Oh, of course you did. Can I see it?"

With a sigh, he had passed it to her, watched her turn it over in her hand, and then realized he had made a mistake. She'd smirked, closed her hand, and dashed.

"Maya!" he shouted, running after the blonde.

"Come and get your luck, Huckleberry!" she laughed. She was fast, but he was taller, and when he caught up, he lifted her off the ground still laughing her head off.

"Got it," he declared.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	140. Day 140 May 19th - Imitation

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY**  
 **MAY 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Imitation" _(one day)_

It had not all made sense to her until now, and it might still not have if her mother's words hadn't reached her the way they did. Lucas usually took some half-hearted offense when she imitated him in that exaggerated Texas drawl and 'ha-hurred' right up in his face. He insisted he didn't talk like that, to which she would counter that yes, he did too talk like a stereotypical cowboy out of some western movie.

That was a lie, on many accounts, and if she'd be honest about it with him she would have to say the same thing. There was just one problem with that option. She cranked it up the way she did because it was easier to miss the mark by so much than for anyone to realize that, if she genuinely tried to imitate him, she wouldn't be able to do it.

Topanga had been the one to set her straight, telling her how - and why - her mother had not been able to imitate neither her nor Shawn. It all made complete sense with her mother, but for her... and Lucas...

So this was where she stood, as a transparent, failed imitation of him he and everyone could just see right through, or a caricature that shot so wide it would never be expected to reach its target. From where she stood now, the choice seemed easy.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	141. Day 141 May 20th - Tease 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-ONE**  
 **MAY 20TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Tease" _(two days)_  
 _part 1 of 2_

He was entirely too familiar with how she was when it came to his birthday. Over the years, she had only become more and more determined to make him anxious to find out what she had planned by teasing him so innocently as she did.

But now it was a new game: now she had help.

At ten, Emily had been scheming along with her for a couple birthdays, and even Lizzie, who was only five, was being pulled into it. He'd find the three of them huddled together, only to disperse like spooked animals at his approach. The only one he still had on his side had the unfortunate distinction of being only all of two years old.

"How about it, Tommy? Do you know what they're up to?" The boy only looked up and gave him a clueless blue-eyed smile.

"Lucas Friar, show some patience." He looked up and found Maya staring back at him. "Using the kid to snoop now? That's low, Ranger Rick," she mock scolded, which made their son laugh. "Come on, Tommy," she held out her hand and the boy teetered over to her while she went on shaking her head in Lucas' direction.

With a sigh of defeat, he sat back. "One more week," he told himself, hearing Emmy and Lizzie giggling in the distance.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	142. Day 142 May 21st - Tease 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO**  
 **MAY 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Tease" _(two days)_  
 _part 2 of 2_

"The clown nightmare," Lucas reported as he rejoined Maya in their room after Lizzie had called out for him. "She's asleep."

"Stupid clown," Maya frowned, lying back down as he came to join her. "I warned your Mom about taking her to the circus, and this is what we get." When silence set in, she turned over and found him still sitting up and looking at her. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he scratched at his head quietly.

"Nothing?" she sat up and fixed him with a doubting look. "This is about your birthday."

"I didn't bring it up, you did," he shrugged.

"You are going to wait, like every year." He gave her a look, and in three seconds flat had a face full of pillow. He laughed. "Hey, I know that look, and it might work on me coming from people younger and shorter than me, but on great big... Butternuts like you, I'm not buying," she gave him the tone, but he could see she'd break and smile at any second. He only turned up the pleading look and watched her squirm. "I'm going to sleep, good night," she quickly turned and laid back down, tucking her head against the pillow she'd hit him with.

"Wow," he joined her, chuckling.

"Wow, what?" she called without moving. He didn't speak. He stared at the ceiling and waited. After a minute, he felt her slowly and defeatedly turn over. Now he was getting somewhere.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	143. Day 143 May 22nd - Glow

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-THREE**  
 **MAY 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Glow" _(one day)_

Sitting by the campfire, the light touched her like it couldn't get enough of her. She glowing, wasn't she? The fire, the moon, the stars... and all he saw was her. He couldn't stop looking at her, even though she'd tell him not to. All he could think about was how the pieces seemed at last to fit.

Maybe there was something about being back here in Texas, being back and having her there with him, that started the final shift, before they could end up... here. Just the two of them, and his chance to let his brain catch up, let the next step come to him.

But it wasn't happening. All he could do was get caught up staring at her, glowing golden in the firelight, and feel his heart beat like it would stop if he couldn't see her anymore. And maybe it was fear, too. He knew what had her so tense, knew what was at stake for the both of them after whatever came next, good or bad.

If he stopped and gave it any amount of thought he'd be just as concerned. And yet right now he didn't have it in him. He'd been swept up by the light, and maybe that was why she couldn't make herself look at him, like... like... what happened if they both looked at each other long enough?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	144. Day 144 May 23rd - Safety

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR**  
 **MAY 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Safety" _(one day)_

She had never really had an issue with scary movies. One of her favorite parts was always watching how Riley would freak out before anything happened and then shout warnings at the screen. She had never had problems, and then last Friday, Shawn had her watch one movie and it had her in a ball of nerves all weekend.

On Monday morning, after staring at the door for ten minutes, she made a choice. When the knock came shortly thereafter, she jumped.

"Lucas?" she called, hating the tone in her voice.

"Yeah," he answered, so she grabbed her bag and opened the door, pushing past him but waiting for him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You texted for me to come and get you, so..."

"What, can't a girl want to have company on her way to school?" Maya frowned.

"Sure, but..." She moved down the stairs, keeping pace with him always. "Maya?"

"Don't," she warned, sticking her finger in his face; they both looked at her finger, which was shaking. "I got rattled, okay?" she sighed. He looked at her standing there, and after a moment, he gave her a smile.

"Okay, let's go." And that was that. They walked out of her building, pace matched.

"Just so we're clear, when we get to school... We're friends and we showed up together."

"Right, got it." He hesitated. "So what rattled you?"

"Not telling. I have an image to uphold."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	145. Day 145 May 24th - Pancakes 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE**  
 **MAY 24TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Pancakes" _(two days)_  
 _part 1 of 2_

She had only just laid her tray on the line, moving to receive her lunch, when Geralyn pushed a plate on to it like she'd been waiting on her.

"Pancakes?" Maya blinked, looking at the food the lunch lady had in wait for everyone else. "Did I miss something?" she asked, staring back, lost.

"Don't look at me, I only do as I'm told."

"It's not my birthday, my grades are still..." Geralyn gave her a look. Maya straightened her back. "Never mind. So what is it then, huh?"

In response, the lunch lady tipped her head toward something over Maya's shoulder. When she turned, tray in hand, she spotted him, staring back from across the cafeteria, his hand raised in a sheepish wave.

Her eyes shrank into a half squint as she walked over and put the tray down.

"Hey, Maya," Lucas greeted her, nervous.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked.

"Pancakes," he replied. "I didn't make..."

"How many? About a short little stack's worth? I thought we'd gone through this already you and me?" she sat.

"We did, yeah, we did, we..." he tried to explain, unable to evade her glare. "I didn't want it to ruin them for you, so that's why I asked Geralyn to make those... to redeem the pancake."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	146. Day 146 May 25th - Pancakes 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SIX**  
 **MAY 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Pancakes" _(two days)_  
 _part 2 of 2_

In this entire debacle, she had never been too upset with him, and she had always stated as much. Now for a moment she had been on the verge of changing that, but he had explained himself, and though she tried not to let him off the hook so easy, it had to be clear on her face that her momentary grievance had passed. Also, the pancakes smelled so good.

"Everyone's looking at me like wolves that didn't eat for a month," she remarked, sitting up a bit straighter and looking around.

"I don't think there'd be enough," Lucas blinked.

"Who said anything about sharing? They're _my_ pancakes," she held to her plate. "That being said... Do you want half?"

He smirked, before pulling a tray he'd hidden on the chair next to him, his own plate.

"Alright, good, because I was gonna say too bad," she joked, and he laughed. "I would."

"Yeah, okay," he went with it.

They dug into the pancakes kindly made by Geralyn, and it was to be the best meal they'd had at this school, admittedly in some part thanks to the company they kept. Maya looked so happy with it all, and seeing her smile, Lucas knew his mission had been a rousing success, maybe even more so than he had ever envisioned.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	147. Day 147 May 26th - Meeting

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN**  
 **MAY 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Meeting" _(one day)_

 _A/N: Tie back to "Project" (day 120, April 29th)_

They had settled in and started to work, but he could see all too clearly that she was only halfway committed. She was distracted, and he knew what had her attention: she was waiting. It wasn't long.

"Maya, please," he whispered when he heard a key in the door. She smiled.

"Lucas, I'm home!" a musically twangy voice called, and at once he bowed his head, while Maya clasped her hands together like she could hardly contain her excitement. "Lucas?" the woman called.

"In here, Mrs. Friar!" Maya called back, and Lucas' forehead met the table at once.

"My, my, who's this?" Mrs. Friar came into the room, and Maya stood up, nudging Lucas to do the same. He shot up.

"Mama, this is Maya H..." he started.

"Oh, Maya, of course!" she cut him off, moving forward and taking Maya's hands. "I have heard plenty about you, young lady, it is a pleasure to finally put a face to the name, darling. And what a sweet face it is, isn't it, Lucas?"

Maya looked back at him like she was having too much fun to tear her eyes from the woman completely. Lucas took a breath, at a loss for words.

"Yes, Mama," he finally relented, knowing Maya's giggles would explode the moment his mother left the room.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	148. Day 148 May 27th - Thought

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT**  
 **MAY 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Thought" _(one day)_

It would dawn on her sometimes, how he'd think about her, even when she wasn't around. What was it about a thing like that, why did it affect her so? He would say things to her, or about her, and she would know, it was something he had considered before.

He considered her as an artist, and how important it was to her, she knew that now. He'd gotten all worked up about it in class, and that had been one of those moments where she'd had the realization. And it had felt so good, the kind of good where nothing bad could touch you for the rest of the day.

And there were her thoughts, for him. Did he see it, too? Did it affect him? Did she want it to affect him? Maybe she did. Maybe nothing would please her more than to know it was a mutual sort of realization. Because it mattered to her, now, and a little more each day.

Knowing that of all the things and the people that had bit by bit bettered her life in the last couple of years, it mattered so very much. If he knew that, it could actually be alright. When had that happened? She'd always kept those thoughts to herself, for fear of their power, but now...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	149. Day 149 May 28th - Prank 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINE**  
 **MAY 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Prank" _(two days)_  
 _part 1 of 2_

He was going to get her back for this, she just knew. He'd had this look on his face all day, not so much angry as 'you're on.'

She had no doubt in his pranking abilities, and frankly she was kind of looking forward to see what he would come up with. They'd had their little game all along, and this just felt right in line with the rest of it, didn't it?

So she watched him, whenever he roamed about. She even watched Zay, and Farkle; if Lucas had recruited either of them, she'd know... She could handle those. One way or another, she would go about as cool and confident as ever. If Lucas expected her to quake in her boots, he was going to have to do a whole lot better than that. She was going to meet his gaze with ease, unafraid and ready for whatever he had to dish out.

He had to know that whatever he did could then lead her to retaliate upon his retaliation, and if possible she might have been looking forward to that more than anything. Prank upon prank, a new level to their little game, which only seemed fair. They had to step things up a bit, now that they were girlfriend and boyfriend.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	150. Day 150 May 29th - Prank 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY**  
 **MAY 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Prank" _(two days)_  
 _part 2 of 2_

They dropped down into their usual seats at Topanga's at the same time, quietly facing forward for a moment before turning.

"So..." she slowly spoke, looking him over.

"So..." he did the same with a nod.

"Three weeks of this," she stated, smirking.

"Not going to tell me where my last pair of shoes is, are you? Or how you got all the other ones?" he inquired slowly.

"But you've done so well finding them so far," she patted his knee. "My hair's almost not purple anymore. Is it weird I'm actually starting to miss it?" she asked, tugging at a still stubbornly violet strand of hair.

"That was a fun day," he reached out to single out another bit of purple. Maya smiled, then laughed. "We're going to have to stop this, aren't we?"

"It _is_ getting a bit crazy," she agreed.

"Mr. Matthews is starting to get nervous."

"No, that's just his face." She paused, her face shrinking with disappointment.

"Hey, but it's been a pretty good three weeks," he quickly pointed out, and her smile slowly returned in full force. "So," he held out his hand. "Pranks off?" he asked. She hesitated, then reached into her bag and pulled out the final pair of shoes, setting them in his lap in proud resignation.

"Fine, you're in the clear, Huckleberry. For now."

"For now," he agreed.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	151. Day 151 May 30th - School

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE**  
 **MAY 30TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "School" _[one day]_

As special days went, preparing one's daughter for her first day at the very school where you yourself had gotten to know and fallen for the one who'd given her to you... it was a big one.

Emily had been anxious, for all the normal reasons, and maybe for that, she was almost too unaware of how her parents were entirely more nervous than she was.

Maya had been on the verge of going in to check on her eight times now, but then stopped, muttered something, and went back into the kitchen. Lucas had a look about him like he would have preferred if she _had_ gone through with it, the better to question her after.

"She'll be fine, right?" she nodded to herself. "She's been in school for, what... half her life? Why's today so..."

"Because the day _we_ were out there, _this_ happened?" he pointed around the room, down to Lizzie and Tom eating breakfast, too. Maya gave him a look.

"That took years, it didn't... it..." She paused, took a breath, made her ninth aborted sneak toward her room. "She'll be fine, she..."

Maya stopped, as Emily came bouncing into the room, a wide beam of a smile on her face. Suddenly, neither one of them could be worried.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	152. Day 152 May 31st - Privacy

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-TWO**  
 **MAY 31ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Privacy" _[one day]_

She knew it would be a bad idea, but what could she say? She'd wanted to have him over to her place, do the whole movie night thing, just the two of them. Except somehow someone must have heard, because the moment they sat down on the couch, there was a knock at the door, and in came Shawn, acting as not casual as anyone ever had, conveniently joining them, and squeezing himself in between the pair of them.

Going by the looks she could catch on Lucas' face, which amounted to 'I'm afraid for my life,' she had to guess what Shawn's face looked like. She tried to catch Lucas' gaze, mouthing 'I'm sorry.'

And oddly it seemed to calm him, like even with this barrier, she was there and he was there, and that was at least something. Next time they'd have to be more careful. She wouldn't even tell him or anyone, she'd just 'kidnap' him and they'd have their movie night, just the two of them.

That would be a good night... Not that watching him sweat under the glare of her 'protector' didn't have its merits. That he didn't get spooked once, that meant something to her, too.

"Thanks for tonight," she told him as she walked him out. "Next time, my head, your shoulder, deal?"

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	153. Day 153 Jun 1st - Sports

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE**  
 **JUNE 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Sports" _[one day]_

He hadn't even needed to ask if she'd do it. He told her how his coach wanted him to keep on practicing, and her immediate response had been a summons to the gym after school. He wasn't about to tell her no, he'd seen her pitch. All he really had to worry about was whether or not she'd go all drill sergeant on him. When he met up with her there, she was already all set.

"You know it's not the same as in class, right?" he asked, and she frowned. "I mean... yeah, you do," he took his bat and went up into position.

He told her what he needed to do, and she just nodded. He got much of what he expected, with her pointing out what he did wrong at every turn, but he didn't mind. She was right, and it all turned out to be as fun as it was helpful to him.

When it came time to stop, it was entirely due to his exhaustion and her need to go and meet up with Riley. They set out together and then he watched her go, never telling her how much he had struggled to strike at times, as focused as he was on her. It had all sort of hit him out of the blue, and at the same time, maybe it had helped him, to will himself to concentrate on the ball more than the pitcher...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	154. Day 154 Jun 2nd - Friendship 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR  
JUNE 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Friendship" _[seven days]_  
 _part 1 of 7_

It used to be she might have swiped something as they walked by, all of them, looking at the items from the school's lost and found, as instructed. That thought had taken her mind back to a locket she _had_ taken, and _that_ thought had made her reach to the golden locket around her...

"Where..." she breathed, when her hand lay flat against her shirt, with no locket under her fingers. "No... No, no..."

"Maya?" Her sudden frantic turns stopped as she saw Lucas approach.

"I-I lost it, I lost... the locket, my Mom..."

"It's gotta be here, we'll find it..."

"I don't know, I... I don't know where I lost it, I put it on this morning, I've been everywhere, classes, halls..."

"Maya, it's okay," he promised her, and she wanted to believe it so much right now. Her mother had worked so hard to get it for her. And Shawn... "I'll go with you, we'll find it, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded, her voice smaller than she'd ever want anyone to hear. Lucas didn't point it out. Instead, he started out by checking the ground they'd been walking. When this gave them nothing, they both headed into the hall.

"Let's go backwards," he said. "Where were you before?"

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	155. Day 155 Jun 3rd - Friendship 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE**  
 **JUNE 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Friendship" _[seven days]_  
 _part 2 of 7_

He knew she didn't get so easily frazzled, so to see her in this way, it left him with one mission alone: help her find the locket. He had heard all about how she'd gotten it, and if it were him, he'd be lost, too.

"I was at my locker," she stated, feet clicking with decisive steps. Lucas followed her, scanning the ground as he went. It could have fallen, been sent flying by someone's foot. Or it could have been picked up, he knew this, too. Would someone just take it and not give it back? Maya's picture was inside, they'd know it belonged to her... and care? "It's not here," she sighed, shutting her locker.

"Okay, that doesn't mean anything, you could have lost it before. Where next?"

"Art class?" she shrugged, looking as though she was already preparing herself for the moment when she'd know her locket would be gone for good.

"Art class, come on" he moved behind her and got her walking by pressing on her shoulders.

Eventually she started on with determination just as she'd done before. She had to keep that feeling with her. If she didn't, well he'd just have to find it for her again, wouldn't he? Like they'd find her locket. He was going to do it; they couldn't give up.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	156. Day 156 Jun 4th - Friendship 3

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SIX**  
 **JUNE 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Friendship" _[seven days]_  
 _part 3 of 7_

They had scoured art class, looked where she had been and even where she hadn't been, just in case. Still no sign of the locket. Maya didn't want to lose hope, even though it was feeling more hopeless by the minute. She reminded herself of her mother's work, her sacrifices. She reminded herself of Shawn, the part he had played in getting it for her.

And she saw Lucas, here with her now. She knew he was her friend, one of her best, but it was in moments like this when his friendship shone so bright that she was reminded _just_ how lucky she was to have him be what he was to her.

Art class had been a bust, but Lucas wasn't giving up, and neither could she.

"Where next?" he asked her now.

"Well... I went to the bathroom before coming in here," she replied, and at the look on his face, "You wait in the hall."

"I will, I will do that, yeah," he followed.

The bathroom was also a bust, and she returned to find him waiting, bent over to look at the ground from another angle. She waited for him to stand, so not to startle him. He jumped anyway.

"Nothing?" he asked, and she showed her empty hands. "Okay, so I know where you were before," he said, leading the way to the cafeteria.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	157. Day 157 Jun 5th - Friendship 4

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN**  
 **JUNE 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Friendship" _[seven days]_  
 _part 4 of 7_

The cafeteria doors were locked. Looking through the windows, they could see Janitor Harley was cleaning up after the lunch time mess, the room nearly done.

"Janitor Harley?" Lucas knocked, trying to get his attention. When he looked over, he saw them and walked over.

After explaining what they were looking for, he assured them that, if it _had_ been there, he would have found it already. Maya wandered off, leaving Lucas no choice but to thank the man and follow her back on her search.

"Can you do your thing again?" she asked.

"What's my thing?" he asked, unsure.

"That Ranger Rick thing you do, telling me it's not hopeless. Because I'm trying so hard right now, but I can feel it going."

"Maya, I'm not giving up, and neither should you, okay?" he held out his hand to her, and after a moment she took it. "Are we good now?" he asked her before they could start to go again. She breathed.

"Yeah, we're good. Thank you."

They started to walk, and when she let go of his hand, he could feel something there, like she would have much rather kept that hold. To compensate, he made sure not to wander off very far from her at any time again.

"Where next?" he asked, and she pointed the way, which they followed, locked in step.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	158. Day 158 Jun 6th - Friendship 5

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-EIGHT**  
 **JUNE 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Friendship" _[seven days]_  
 _part 5 of 7_

The search wound on, taking them back through the rest of Maya's morning, all the way back until they now stood at the door to John Quincy Adams middle school, still with no locket recovered.

"I didn't lose it here, then that means I lost it out there," she looked out to the school grounds, and everything that lay between it and her home.

Lucas knew it would crush her to think about it. Losing it in school was one thing, but out there... No, he couldn't fall into that pattern, too. Maya was his friend, and she needed someone there who would not give up, who wouldn't let her do it either.

"We'll head back to your place, same way that you came, okay? Let's go."

"What if I lost it on the subway? There's no way to know what car we were on, or if that's the one that'll come," she pointed out in desperation.

"And maybe we will, or it will be somewhere else than the subway. We won't know if we don't go. So let's go."

She sighed, but again he had gotten through to her, and they left the school, retracing her path all the way down to the station and the platform where she had stepped off that morning.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	159. Day 159 Jun 7th - Friendship 6

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE**  
 **JUNE 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Friendship" _[seven days]_  
 _part 6 of 7_

They had gone up and down the platform. They had asked the police officer there if anyone had found a locket. They had done everything humanly possible to establish whether it might be here that she had lost it, down to scanning the tracks for anything that might have been the golden locket. They did not find it.

Lucas had to convince her, one more time, that they still had hope, that she could have lost it before. They took the subway, back to her station, and they carried on their search, until they were standing in front of her building. She looked at him now as though to say 'Got anything for this, Huckleberry?' and he did not know what to tell her anymore.

That realization might have struck the hardest. He didn't want to let her down. If she didn't get it back, it would wreck her, he knew. But he had nothing left. Odds were they would never see it again, and someone had it, maybe wanted to get it back to its owner but wouldn't know how. He let out a breath, ready to concede defeat when...

"Maya? Look," he pointed to the ground, just outside the door to her building. It was sort of tucked behind a rock, but he was positive of what he saw: a golden heart...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	160. Day 160 Jun 8th - Friendship 7

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY**  
 **JUNE 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Friendship" _[seven days]_  
 _part 7 of 7_

She looked down now and saw it, too, as Lucas crouched to retrieve it. The relief flooded her so suddenly that it made her eyes sting. It really was her locket, and not a scratch on it.

"I remember now, I stopped to hold the door open and someone bumped into me. It must have come off then. I can't believe I didn't notice until..."

"What's important is you have it back," he told her, fastening the chain around her neck where it belonged. She held the locket.

"And I'll never not notice again," she vowed before looking back to him. "Thanks, Lucas."

"It's nothing," he assured her, and she shook her head, smacking his arm. "Ow!"

"It's not nothing, don't say that. It really meant a whole lot that you didn't let me give up, okay, I..." With no words that could express her gratitude any better, she stepped up and hugged him, and he hugged her back. She let it linger a moment before stepping back to look at him. "You know, now that I think about it, I'm not sure we were supposed to leave..."

"Lost and found day," he pointed out. "You lost, we found." She smirked.

"You've got a point there," she agreed. "In that spirit, I think we should go and 'find' a couple smoothies, what do you think?"

"I think searching makes you thirsty. It's on me. Let's go."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	161. Day 161 Jun 9th - Hat

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE**  
 **JUNE 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hat" _[one day]_

He'd already found Riley and Farkle, sending them to join Zay and his grandfather for dinner. He only had to find Maya, and as he moved through Pappy Joe's house, he thought he heard her voice. He found her in the guest room, standing in front of the mirror. She'd gotten hold of the hat they'd passed to Farkle and was holding it over her head, and smiling, and tilting about.

"Well howdy, Huckleberry," she intoned, and he was about to reply, thinking she must have seen him, but then... "Evening," she spoke, her posture changing in what he could almost guess to be meant to be him. "Fancy meeting here, Hart," she went on, in that twangy voice she persisted to use as though he spoke that way.

"When did I call you 'Hart,' Maya?" he revealed himself, and he laughed when she startled, spun around and whipped the hat off of her head.

"H-Hey, Lucas, I was just..." she coughed, fixed her hair. She couldn't look him in the eye. "Is it dinner yet?"

"I was just coming to get you, yeah."

"Great, cool," she cut past him, stopped, and stuck the hat in his hands. "This stays between us."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	162. Day 162 Jun 10th - Wonderful

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO**  
 **JUNE 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Wonderful" _[one day]_

He had come up with his hands sort of raised in the air, which, after the way he had 'roped' her earlier that day, had to be his way of showing his remorse/surrender.

"Hey... Maya," he smiled rather awkwardly.

"Relax, Ranger Rick, I'm not going to do anything to you." He relaxed. "Not when you can see it coming, I mean," she beamed. "What's that?" she asked, looking at the bag swinging from his arm. He reached inside and pulled out a flat object wrapped in colorfully striped paper.

"For you. Happy birthday, Maya."

She stood there, a little dumbfounded for a moment. They had been friends for a while, she didn't know why she was surprised that he'd get her something.

"Thanks, Huck... Thanks, Lucas," she corrected herself earnestly, smiling.

"You know, what I did back there, the rope trick... I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't to help out with all that, to help you. That's all I wanted, and I wanted you to have a good birthday. You've been a great friend to me since I've moved here, with the names, with the game, all of it," he smirked. "I wanted to thank you. But if that didn't work, well..." he pointed to the package in her hands. She didn't know what to say. If he wanted her to have a good birthday... It was done.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	163. Day 163 Jun 11th - Rely 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-THREE**  
 **JUNE 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Rely" _[three days]_  
 _part 1 of 3_

The summer before high school had promised itself as being a complicated one from the moment this situation had settled over the three of them. It shouldn't have been so, yet there they were, walking on pins and needles around each other and not at all enjoying their free time together.

Then Riley had gone off to Philly to visit her grandparents as she always did, and somehow Maya had written this off to mean she'd be staying in her own corner until it could be the three of them again.

Then, she'd heard through Zay how Lucas had gotten sick off of something they'd eaten, and all her doubts had gone away. Within the hour she was at his house and walking into his room, finding him there.

"Why didn't you call? I would have come," she said slowly, looking at him. He was sitting up in his bed, his face pale like he'd been sick very recently. He seemed taken with a loss of words, but at the same time there was almost relief in his eyes. "Well, I'm here now, so what do you need?" she asked, coming up to touch his forehead, because it seemed like the thing to do.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	164. Day 164 Jun 12th - Rely 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR**  
 **JUNE 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Rely" _[three days]_  
 _part 2 of 3_

He would have called her if he'd known he could. These days, he didn't know what was right anymore. But now here she was, without prompt and entirely on the basis of their friendship, and he understood. Of course he could call her. Why had he thought otherwise?

"You're not scared I might get sick all over you?" he asked, just slightly distracted at the touch of her hand.

"Please, I've babysat Auggie Matthews. This is nothing." She sat down, and he had to smile, even if he still felt messed up. "Ate something bad, huh, Huckleberry?"

"Word to the wise, don't let Zay talk you into anything, no matter how much..." he stopped, feeling nauseated, and Maya reacted right away, putting a hand to his shoulder, waiting to see if he'd puke. "I'm okay," he said after a minute.

"Are you sure? Need a bucket?"

"No bucket, I'm good," he sighed.

"Hey, Lucas, mind if I take a picture, I'm sure Farkle would love to see your Freak Face now," she teased, and he chuckled. "Really though, you look like... Well I won't say, because it might make you... you know... And I'd like not to see that if I can help it, right?"

"Don't worry, I have a pretty good idea."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	165. Day 165 Jun 13th - Rely 3

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE**  
 **JUNE 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Rely" _[three days]_  
 _part 3 of 3_

She stayed with him for the rest of the afternoon. She might have stayed for the evening, too, if she hadn't had plans with her mother and Shawn. She made Lucas promise to keep her posted on how he was doing, telling him she would return to see him, that all he had to do was call or text, and he had said that he would. Seeing the look in his eyes when he said it, the way it felt as though he was saying 'I know I can now,' it made her glad, but also returned her with some sadness, thinking of the state of their friendship.

He would always be able to rely on her, regardless of what happened in the end, and maybe she'd needed him to know that. Was there a part of her somewhere that wasn't just trying to convince him but herself, too? Maybe, though not the being depended on part and more the fact that she'd want to be in his life, and have him in hers, no matter what.

She didn't want to be thinking like this, not when she had been growing in her hope. But she had lived too long on the other side, and that was something hard to forget.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	166. Day 166 Jun 14th - Important

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX**  
 **JUNE 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Important" _[one day]_

He had become important to her. She had not set out for him to be, but he was, and she knew he was now. It was realized in a number of small things. It was in the way she would bring him up out of the blue so many times. It was in the way she turned to him, for advice, for feedback. It was in the way she missed him on the day when he wasn't around. When had her own happiness come to depend so much on the inclusion of good old Bucky McBoing Boing? She could chalk it up to still being a kid, in a lot of ways, but then what did he leave her with?

And as for him...

She had become important to him. Some days it could feel like she'd come out of nowhere and boom, there it was, except it wasn't that at all. He would look back and see every last step that had taken him from there to here, like marks in the sand, and he would remember every last one of them. She become essential to deciding where his next steps would take him. She was his friend now, and he wanted her there next to him. She was his friend and he missed her when he didn't see her. She was his friend, and she made his days better.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	167. Day 167 Jun 15th - Challenge 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN**  
 **JUNE 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Challenge" _[two days]_  
 _part 1 of 2_

They had barely slept, either of them, for days. Little Emily Friar, less than a month old, had been giving concerts of cries every night without fail. It had gotten to the point where, even when they tried to send one of them to sleep, they couldn't do it. They were exhausted, physically and mentally, sitting in the nursery. Lucas had her now, and by his side Maya was absently folding and unfolding some of their daughter's just cleaned clothes.

"I'm going to toss this in the basket over there, ready? See?" she yawned. "Lucas," she nudged his arm weakly.

"I'm awake," his head rolled up.

"Sure you are," she tapped his leg. "Bet I can get that in there, yeah?"

"What happens if you win?" he asked.

"I don't know, but if you cheer and wake her up, I am leaving," she vowed, though she said this with her head to his shoulder, so there wasn't any fear.

"Okay, go for it," he said, and Maya took her time to aim. "Eyes okay?"

"I haven't slept in years, give me a minute, Crackshot," she frowned, then tossed. Miraculously, the onesie landed in the basket.

"Score," he called in the smallest whisper. "Give me one," he held out his free hand.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	168. Day 168 Jun 16th - Challenge 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-EIGHT**  
 **JUNE 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Challenge" _[two days]_  
 _part 2 of 2_

The nursery's floor was the battlefield of failures and successes, with onesies, and socks, and any amount of tiny clothing both in the basket and strewn across the floor. One shot each, they had spent what they came to realize was almost an hour tossing the items to see who could make the most shots. They were both so tired that they could have been drunk and have achieved the same results. But they were laughing, quiet as they could. Lucas would claim he'd win because he played basketball, and Maya would always beat him on the next shot or two. Soon, they were out of ammunition, but that was alright.

"Maya, she's sleeping," Lucas whispered.

"Actually I'm pretty sure she slept through the whole thing. Does that mean she's starting to ignore us already? Are we _those_ parents? We are _not_ those parents."

"No, of course not." He just smiled at her and she sighed, leaning against him and looking at their girl, putting her hand against her back along with his. She still had trouble believing they had made that.

At the end of the night, she didn't mind how exhausted she was, like she knew Lucas didn't mind it either. It was rough, but they were ready for it, because it was for her, and they would do anything for her.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	169. Day 169 Jun 17th - Story 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE**  
 **JUNE 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Story" _[three days]_  
 _part 1 of 3_

"Okay, you two, you want to know all about me and your Dad, yeah? Well, it's easy. It started on a train. I saw him, sitting there, and... and that's where it all got kind of complicated.

"What you need to know about the next while after that is... we had fun. We had a game, me and him, some might say we still do. And it was wonderful, a lot of the time, and... I might need to put this part on hold until you're older and you understand it better, but the point is your dad, he... made me really happy. Didn't even need to do or say much, he just had to sit there with that Huckleberry face of his... Yes, that one, thank you, Emmy. That was all I needed most of the time.

"Look, I'm not going to say it was easy, because it wasn't, but you know what, it was worth it, all of it, the good, the bad, the greatest and the worst, because we wouldn't be here, the four of us, and your little brother very soon, without all of it.

"So should I tell you the next part? This is where things get even trickier, but you know, it's good that it was, yeah? Here goes. Your father and I were in Texas..."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	170. Day 170 Jun 18th - Story 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY**  
 **JUNE 18TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Story" _[three days]_  
 _part 2 of 3_

"One day, girls, you might meet someone, and you won't believe how they can make you feel. When I saw that bull, and I knew that was what we'd signed him up for, I felt terrible. I thought something would happen to him, and _that_ thought, well...

"Remember last summer, we took you swimming and the water was so, so cold? Do you remember what it felt like when your feet touched it for the first time? Yeah, that's it, Lizzie, exactly, it took your breath away.

"Your father and the bull, that's kind of how I felt, only I didn't really breathe again until it was over. After that, it was almost like I was still dizzy, trying to understand. Then there was a campfire, me and him and all the stars in the sky. For a moment there, I thought it was all going to change. And it _did_ , just... not the way I'd imagined exactly.

"But that's just how it is sometimes, and you need to remember that, both of you. If you really believe in something, you don't let go. It's going to seem so very difficult along the way, but if you have it in you to not lose hope, then you wouldn't imagine what you can do. Me and your father, we got here by going through that. High school came next..."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	171. Day 171 Jun 19th - Story 3

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-ONE**  
 **JUNE 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Story" _[three days]_  
 _part 3 of 3_

"Listen, you two are still little, so... Don't give me that look, Emmy, you are small, deal with it, and embrace it. Because before you know it, you won't be small anymore, and things will get more complicated than you'll know how to deal with them.

"That's what we had to go through, me and your dad, and I'll spare you some of it for now, but I wouldn't lie to you, so I can tell you it didn't come easy, not even close. But when it did, finally, that's when things started to change, not all at once, but more, and more, until we ended up here with you, Emmy, and you, Lizzie, and if he will only decide to join us anytime tonight, your little brother. You, all three of you, you don't know how much we can love you, but we try and show you, every day.

"See, I'd like to say 'and that's the story, the end,' except I can't, because it's not over... so I don't want to finish it, really. I want this story, our little family, to go on forever. It has no ending, as far as I'm concerned.

"Right now, go and see Grandma Katy, and tell your father to get back here, because your brother is coming, and he won't want to miss it."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	172. Day 172 Jun 20th - Age

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWO**  
 **JUNE 20TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Age" _[one day]_

After class that day, when she'd approached him, he looked like he'd been expecting it. With what they'd been told, by his newly transferred Texas friend, there were any number of things for her to say, and he looked just a bit concerned at which ones she'd say.

"So, Ranger Rick... a year older, huh?"

"Yeah," he nodded slowly. "And?"

"I don't know, I'm kind of disappointed. Here I thought you'd been chugging some kind of miracle grow, like plant stuff, or spinach. I almost called you Popeye, thanks to my Mom." His face had gone from near sadness, to relief, and when he smiled, she did, too.

"Like I don't have enough nicknames."

"One can never have too many."

"I don't know, I don't see you calling them so many nicknames," he pointed and she shrugged. "So I'm special?"

"Oh, you are, alright," she tapped his arm. "Yeah, soon you'll be old enough to do stuff for us youthful types," she smirked, and he laughed. "Not that you will, being all Ranger like," she added, and he shrugged.

"Hey, don't write me off just yet, I could surprise you... Blondie."

"Yeah, okay, nice try. Leave the names to me."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	173. Day 173 Jun 21st - Belief

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-THREE**  
 **JUNE 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Belief" _[one day]_

"For me, most of what I believe, comes to me when it's quiet."

The words had stuck with her for so long now. Sometimes they forced her to look at him differently, to stop and think of those moments when he didn't say anything. It was hard not to notice them now, and it felt as though he'd given her a pass key to understanding him better.

Though now that she had, she had to be careful, didn't she? The thing with silence was that you might think you had it all figured out, but maybe you didn't and you were just filling in the blanks where you thought they might fill in.

She looked at Lucas in those quiet moments, she saw the way he looked at her. There was so much emotion in it sometimes she didn't know what to do with herself. That wasn't nothing, was it? She knew where she stood, for better or for worse she did. But what about him? Had she gotten so caught up in the noise that where he stood was one step behind her, waiting to be at her side? Or was she filling in the silence for her sake?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	174. Day 174 Jun 22nd - Better

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOUR**  
 **JUNE 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Better" _[one day]_

When she was little, just after a long rain or snowstorm, she would go and step outside, just to see. The world that had been raging outside her window was still again, and it reminded her of just how beautiful it could be.

As she'd grown, and she'd embraced her artistic side, it would fill her with inspiration, to create, and create, and it was such a feeling.

When they had gotten together, when it had finally been real, it had felt a lot like that, like the moment after the storm, when you remembered, and smiled, and all you wanted was to face the world head on. It started like that, and she was amazed to say that after weeks, and months, after a whole year, it still felt that way.

He still made her feel like the world was beautiful every day, and she couldn't imagine that there had ever been a storm. It had shown her what things could be like, when you had this person in your life, mattering the way they did, and she hoped beyond hope that she was making him feel the same thing, whether a clear sky, or a sunset over Texas.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	175. Day 175 Jun 23rd - Possible

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE**  
 **JUNE 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Possible" _[one day]_

"How do you feel about him, Maya?"

He didn't know how one moment could get so doubly as confusing so fast, but here he was. He'd stood there, not understanding what one friend was doing, only to turn and be left wondering what the other... well, what she would give as answer.

Could it be real, could it possibly happen? Maya and him.

He stood there, and even having ridden a bull as massive as Tombstone, he didn't know that his heart had beat anywhere near as fast as it did now.

Maya and him.

Could it really happen, was that what they were saying? How long could they stand there, not saying, not knowing what to say. She was looking at him now, and all he could see was the look in her eyes, earlier that day, and the look in her eyes now. What had she been thinking then? What about now? He kept looking, waiting for her to say something, but when she did, it was...

"I'm tired, it's been a long day, I think I should go to bed," and she had left the room, with Riley on her heels, while he remained there, paralyzed with a possibility.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	176. Day 176 Jun 24th - Hurt

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SIX**  
 **JUNE 24TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hurt" _[one day]_

She'd discovered just how deep and how fast a mind could go, creating the worst and most terrifying scenarios, the day Lucas had ridden Tombstone the bull.

In half a second she could see it all happen, see him get thrown about like a rag doll robbed of its limbs as it was thrown free and left to break. She saw him fall, saw him roll, saw him crash. She saw blood on him like one person had no business shedding if they meant to live. She saw it all, and it left her breathless as she stood waiting. Until it was over, because he'd done it and was safe somehow, or he came to his senses and didn't go through with it, or he...

Whatever happened, until it was over, all she'd be able to see would be those terrible images looping through her mind. What would she do if he got hurt, if he got worse than hurt, and it was all her fault, for entering him in this stupid contest? She would never recover, that was for sure. She would never be allowed to forget that she'd done this to him. He had to be okay, let him show her he was Huckleberry Rick McBoing Boing and he could do this and be okay. Just be okay...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	177. Day 177 Jun 25th - City

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SEVEN**  
 **JUNE 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "City" _[one day]_

They became different people when they were home in New York, or when they visited Austin. Something of each city inhabited them differently.

In New York, it was their home, the day to day, them and the kids. But in Austin they were different, not more alive, just more... at ease. So many good things had happened here. It was a place of discovery for them, a place with history, for having seen her young Ranger come to life and grow, before he'd come to them. It had been the place where they'd almost kissed for the first time.

It was the place where they had been married, already ten years ago, so where else would they want to be, with their two girls, and their little boy? Every year they brought the kids here it felt like they were letting them in on something special. And it was.

But it was only as special as it was if they went home, and they did. Austin was Austin, but New York was home. It was where they had and raised their family, and there was not one other city they could imagine having the hold it had over them.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	178. Day 178 Jun 26th - Search

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHT**  
 **JUNE 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Search" _[one day]_

Some people would have said snooping through another's belongings was an invasion of privacy. And if she had been digging in drawers or under his bed that might have been one thing, but that wasn't what she did... now.

No, but Lucas' mother had arrived, and he was off talking with her and she was bored, so what was she going to do, stay seated and working on their project? Ha! No, what she did instead was get up and start exploring. Anything in plain sight was not off limits, right?

Like photo albums?

Did she set out looking for any embarrassing photos of wee little Ranger Rick being a wee little Texas dork? Maybe, maybe not, but if she was to find one...

What she found was a lot of adorable, because what else would Lucas the Good ever be, really? She stopped on one for a while, intrigued not by the image itself - of little Lucas and an older man who had to be his grandfather - but an embossed mark like someone had pressed hard in writing something in the back. Looking around, she pulled the image and flipped it, finding a child's handwriting, and she giggled, slapping her hand over her mouth. _"Me and Pappy Joe"_ it said.

"Pappy Joe..." she snorted. "Figures."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	179. Day 179 Jun 27th - Esteem

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-NINE**  
 **JUNE 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Esteem" _[one day]_

Was it the words, or the voice that had carried them, making her feel this way? Maybe it was both.

"You're a great artist, Maya," he'd said, and she'd been just... transfixed.

It wasn't just those words even. He'd gone and said a lot of things all of a sudden, and it wasn't like she'd believed he hadn't thought of her in any way before, but to hear it now like this, a passionate sort of declaration in the middle of class, with those words to close it... She was left speechless, and stunned, and just... touched.

Noticed.

Lucas cared about her. Lucas believed in her.

He wasn't even the first, yet it was him and for some reason that made it all feel different. She could play innocent, wondering why that was, but she was far beyond that by now. She knew, and as much as it would make her question herself again later, right then in that moment, with him looking at her and her looking at him, none of that mattered. Right then, the only thing that mattered was that Lucas Friar cared, and he had let them all know, and let her know.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	180. Day 180 Jun 28th - Argument 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY**  
 **JUNE 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Argument" _[two days]_  
 _part 1 of 2_

It had been complicated with them every since that night in Texas, and their attempt at a date. Things had sort of stalled, grown awkward, and it seemed impossible to move past it all, except...

There'd been a moment, the two of them across from one another, him and the guys on one end, girls on the other, the both of them standing and arguing briefly. One small moment, and they had no worries, no concerns of feelings, or behavior... They were just themselves, and it had felt like such a... relief.

Not that he wanted them to be yelling at each other; she would give him that look and he'd know he had no ground to stand on that she couldn't surmount... and he liked that. He liked it so much, and right about then, seeing it again, he knew he had missed it.

How could he even tell her that though? The moment had gone, and now they were back in their old space, silent and a little unsure. They were supposed to be closer now, but they had never felt so far apart, and it was that one moment of approach that made him see it.

He wanted it back, wanted _her_ back, but no matter how hard he tried, he just didn't know how to get there.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	181. Day 181 Jun 29th - Argument 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-ONE**  
 **JUNE 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Argument" _[two days]_  
 _part 2 of 2_

Had he felt it, too? Had he felt that little sort of jolt in his heart when he'd stood there, the way she had? She didn't know if he had, but she had definitely felt it, and now she couldn't stop thinking about it.

One small argument and it felt like a blazing warmth of fire after a trek through the cold. Now her fingers were feeling the chill again and she just wanted the warmth back, but... there was the storm, blurring her vision again. Was she ever going to stop getting lost out there?

She knew where she wanted to be, but she didn't know how to get there, how to stay there. But that one little spark, it had reminded her of how lost she was, how... how she couldn't ignore the way she felt for him.

That one moment was like a wake up call to where they had let themselves get, and it left her just a little worried, but she couldn't explain why. All she knew was that for one moment, she and Lucas had been themselves again, not two sides of an unfortunate triangle, and it had felt like the weight of the world lifted from her shoulders.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	182. Day 182 Jun 30th - Amuse

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-TWO**  
 **JUNE 30TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Amuse" _[one day]_

 _A/N: Six months in, six months out! :D_

He didn't know anyone who could make him smile the way she made him smile. It would knock into him, sending a thrill of excitement down to his heart, like a jolt to bring him to life. He didn't know how she did it.

He didn't even know how he did it, because most miraculous of all was the way he realized he could get a smile out of her. It would happen though, and he didn't know that he could ever get enough of the sparkle she would get in her eye and knowing that he'd been responsible for it.

He didn't know the how of it, but he did know that he wanted to see it again, to make it again, and he didn't know which part he liked the best, knowing that he had made her happy for a moment, or knowing how happy he was for making her happy Maybe it was a draw.

He didn't know that he would ever crack the formula for how it all went down, but maybe he didn't need or want to. All he could ever want to know or care about was that Maya Hart got to be happy, and it was as wonderful a bonus that she did the same for him.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	183. Day 183 Jul 1st - Surprise

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-THREE**  
 **JULY 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Surprise" _[one day]_

The envelope had been sitting on the desk for weeks, untouched but beckoning their eyes every time they walked past it. How one word written on a piece of paper could affect them so much was kind of baffling really, but here they were.

"Don't," he said, when he saw her standing there, staring at the envelope.

"I wasn't doing anything," she turned to frown at him, even though the look in her eyes was saying something else.

"You're the one who said we would wait, I was fine with knowing now."

"I did say that," she agreed, her eyes veering back to the desk. "It'll be a great surprise though. Might be the only chance we get, and once we know..."

"We've held on this long, haven't we?" he came to stand with her, reaching down to touch her belly, and she smiled just as he did. "We can make it."

"We can, and we will," she agreed. "Do you know though, I'm not that patient."

"Wait, you're not?" he put on an air of surprise, and she rolled her eyes. "How about we just don't leave it right there where we have to look at it all the time?"

"We could... or we could leave it. I'm strengthening my patience, for when it comes."

"Okay, then it has to stay. We'll be strong."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	184. Day 184 Jul 2nd - Personal

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FOUR**  
 **JULY 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Personal" _[one day]_

She'd run off so fast, he hadn't had time to catch up with her when he'd noticed the piece of paper that had fallen from her textbook and fluttered to the ground.

Lucas had picked it up, left to find her but failed. He'd only had to look at the paper, folded in two, and four, and eight, to think maybe he shouldn't be unfolding it. Whatever was written on there, was it really his to know? He knew Maya, knew how private she could be, and he knew immediately that, on the off chance that the paper's contents were personal, he owed it to her to respect it all.

Had the situation been reversed, he didn't know if she would have resisted it, but that didn't matter. He stuck the unopened paper in his pocket, to hold on to it until he could return it to Maya.

The next morning, he'd come upon her, crouched low and scanning the ground in Mr. Matthews' class.

"Looking for this?" he asked, pulling the paper from his pocket. She looked at it, and she snatched it away at once.

"You didn't read it, did you?"

"No, I didn't," he promised, and she stared at him for a moment, but then she looked like she accepted the statement.

"Thanks, Ranger Rick, valiant as ever."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	185. Day 185 Jul 3rd - Fine

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE**  
 **JULY 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Fine" _[one day]_

He didn't know how she did it sometimes. He didn't know how she could say she was fine when he could see she wasn't.

Everyone else had to be seeing it, too, right? If they saw what was happening around her and all they heard out of her was 'I'm fine,' wouldn't they get as surprised as he did? They had to, they couldn't just take it.

Sometimes he'd tell himself that maybe it was just her way of doing things, like if she said it, she could believe it would be true? Maybe. But he couldn't be patient about this, couldn't trust that much. he would react. Her being so calm about it was just impossible.

In time, he would have to see what was under those words. He would have to see that those two words could be better than all the ones she didn't actually say. He would see maybe he wasn't so far off.

He'd see that no, it wasn't that she was fine. But she understood why she wasn't fine, and once she knew that, getting to the other side, where she would be fine, did not seem just as frightening as it could have been. She had found her road, and if she followed it... she would be fine.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	186. Day 186 Jul 4th - Discovery

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SIX**  
 **JULY 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Discovery" _[one day]_

The first time he had been to her place, it felt special. It felt like he was being allowed to see the inner workings of who Maya was. He knew she realized it, too. She tried to play it cool, but he could see just a bit of how nervous she was. He didn't go out of his way to point it out.

Coming into the apartment, it was in equal parts meeting and defying his expectations. She didn't have as much as the rest of them, which he'd known, but this was Maya's world, and Maya made the most of everything she touched.

This place, it had so many little touches that spoke of her, that showed how she'd attempted - and succeeded - in making it beautiful. It showed all the way into her room, though in some ways it was more discreet here, like she'd given most of her attention to the rest of the place and left herself in a more subdued sort of expression.

But that was just her, wasn't it? she cared so much for everyone else. So what did it mean for her? When that thought had dawned on him, he had felt strangely affected. He'd looked at her, and he'd wondered if she knew just how appreciated she really was, by all of them, and by him.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	187. Day 187 Jul 5th - Rodeo

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SEVEN**  
 **JULY 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Rodeo" _[one day]_

Maya had made him promise that their daughter would never know. From the day she was born, it was clear: Emily Friar could not know about her father, or Judy the sheep, or Tombstone the bull. She had already been forced to endure one fright, the day he'd rode that bull, the last thing she needed or wanted was for their baby girl to get any ideas put in her head like she needed to uphold some kind of family tradition or defend their honor.

Lucas had laughed it off, but he knew she was serious, and he told her not to worry. He wouldn't have wanted her anywhere near it, sheep or bull. It wasn't as though it would be much of an issue in those first few years, but sooner or later they'd go to Texas, sooner or later someone would tell the tale of the infamous ride, and when that day came they would have to close their eyes and hope that Emily had picked up common sense over a rebel streak.

Either way, they knew it would only be a matter of time before the moment, and if it became that she chose to ride, there might be two of them up on that hill.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	188. Day 188 Jul 6th - Arms

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-EIGHT**  
 **JULY 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Arms" _[one day]_

She didn't know if it would be called shallow or merely common sense, but since they had started to date it was his arms she'd grown to appreciate most of all.

It wasn't just that they were massive and denoted his physical strength even. But sometimes they would sit or stand together, and he'd have his arms around her, and she'd be so small within them, and she would feel so... secure, so warm, content, and loved. How could those two arms make her feel all these things at once? He'd hold her close, and for a moment the world would fall away. There'd be nothing but him and her, no school, no parents, no worries or insecurities...

There'd only be her boyfriend, who seemed to think the very sun beamed from her, and her, little Maya Penelope Hart, who thought the same about _him_.

She could have stayed there in those arms all the hours of the day and night and she would have been well. She couldn't, she knew, but then maybe that was okay, too. Every time they parted, it would be with the knowledge that, once reunited, she could get that feeling back, as though it had never ended.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	189. Day 189 Jul 7th - Gasp

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-NINE**  
 **JULY 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Gasp" _[one day]_

She had grown up around an actress, and for the longest time she had taken the notion of someone taking your breath away as her mother being overly dramatic.

And then Texas had happened. Then the campfire had happened.

Lucas Friar taking her face in his hands, stroking the side of her face with his thumbs for the smallest of moments had happened. And in that moment he had done it, just as her mother had said.

He had taken her breath away, and it had felt as though she hadn't the faintest idea how to get it back, though at the same time she couldn't say if she even wanted it back in the first place.

In that one moment she felt dizzily swept off to a world where was only him and her, where silence reigned, with only the crackle of a fire and the stillness of night to surround them. It was only him and her, and then she'd had the misfortune of breathing again.

His hands had gone, her thoughts returned, and all she wanted was for things to be just as they'd been for that one moment, for it never to stop.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	190. Day 190 Jul 8th - Near

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY**  
 **JULY 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Near" _[one day]_

When they had stepped out on that dance floor, just him and her, the bride and groom out for their first dance together, he had pulled her close, kept her near, and she'd smiled at him, just as he did.

"Look at you, beaming and blushing and everything," she told him. "It's cute."

"Cute? Is that all I get?" he asked her.

"For now. Besides, I think I've made my feelings pretty clear, haven't I?" He spun her out, brought her back, and she breathed out, feeling her own cheeks warmed at once.

He was right, 'cute' didn't even begin to cover it, but what could, really? What could describe it better than this, him and her, cheek to cheek, with more feelings than they knew what to do with, feelings for the person they held near to themselves, the one they'd just vowed to spend their whole life with. Cute...

"You know, you wouldn't even have to say it," he told her. "You just need to be here with me and I know. I've always known." She gave him a look. "Fine, there may have been a while... But then I knew, and now I know, and from now on... Me and you." She smiled, eyes stinging with stubborn happy tears.

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	191. Day 191 Jul 9th - Loyalty 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-ONE**  
 **JULY 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Loyalty" _[four days]_  
 _part 1 of 4_

She was about to go to bed when she heard a soft tap at her window. When she turned around, she was startled to discover the face outside.

"Lucas?" she moved to open the window. "What are you doing here?" He came through, into her room, and she was now mildly aware of being in her PJs, but it didn't stay with her as she saw the look on his face. "Lucas?"

"Can I stay here tonight?" he asked.

"Stay... What's going on?" She was just on the edge of worried, wondering what could have happened to bring him here this way. She closed the window behind him and brought him to sit with her.

For a minute, they didn't speak. In the end, Maya stood back up and went to see that her mother was in her room before getting back to Lucas. He looked up at her, and she swallowed hard. He had come to _her_. Whatever had brought him here, he had gone where he'd believed he _could_ go. What else did she need to know?

"I'll get some blankets, make you a mattress... Hope the floor's not too hard..."

"Thanks," he spoke now. "Thank you, Maya." She said nothing, nodding to him before sneaking out of her room for blankets.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	192. Day 192 Jul 10th - Loyalty 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-TWO**  
 **JULY 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Loyalty" _[four days]_  
 _part 2 of 4_

Maya had busied herself with the makeshift mattress while Lucas called home. She tried not to listen in as he spoke to his mother, telling her he would be staying at Zay's for the night.

"If my mother catches you in here, she is going to flip out, so don't make a lot of noise, okay?" she told him after he hung up, ignoring the call.

She sat back on her bed after turning off the light. He was sitting on the blankets on the ground now, and in the near darkness she could still feel the weight of silence. She wanted to ask him what had happened, what had led him here this way.

But she was looking at him, and she had no inclination to ask it; she felt that if he wanted to say, he would do it.

"My mom gets up early on Wednesdays, we should get to sleep," she told him.

"Okay," he lay down on the blankets as she got under her own covers. Pulling her head to the edge of the pillow so she could see him on the ground, she couldn't help but watch him there.

"Do you need anything?" she whispered.

"I'm alright... Thanks," he finally spoke.

"Good, that's good. Well... good night." She turned back around, staring at the ceiling. Lucas was on the floor, and that was going to have to be normal.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	193. Day 193 Jul 11th - Loyalty 3

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-THREE**  
 **JULY 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Loyalty" _[four days]_  
 _part 3 of 4_

She'd get up early same as her mother, distracted by the noise she'd make, but this morning, she knew, she was the first one awake.

She came back to the edge of her bed and looked down to the floor. He was awake, too.

"Morning, Ranger Rick," she whispered. He turned his head, meeting her eye.

"Hey..." he spoke, sitting up slowly.

"Did you sleep okay? The floor..."

"It was fine," he insisted. She watched him stand up, picking up the blankets and starting to fold them up. Maya stood and stopped him, taking the blankets back.

"I got it, Lucas, okay? I got it."

He let go without a word, and as he stood there, she felt for the first time a real curiosity for what had brought him to her window the night before.

"I'll go and get you some food, before my mom gets up," she went to the door.

"It's okay, I'll get something out there."

"Don't be ridiculous, Huckleberry, just... consider it a part of the Hart Plaza overnight package, okay?"

"Right," he agreed, and she went, returning with an apple and a slice of bread with peanut butter. He ate, and she watched. When he was done, they could hear her mother in the other room.

"See you at school," she said as he climbed out again.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	194. Day 194 Jul 12th - Loyalty 4

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-FOUR**  
 **JULY 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Loyalty" _[four days]_  
 _part 4 of 4_

When she arrived at school that day, with Riley as usual, he was there, waiting on the bench outside history class. They went to him, and they got to talking, like any other day. It was going to be his call whether he said anything to anyone else. If he didn't tell Riley, then neither could she.

She didn't like keeping secrets, especially incomplete ones like this, especially from her best friend. But they made it all the way into class without Lucas saying a word to her, or Farkle, or Zay when they showed up.

In silence he had bound her into secrecy, and in silence she promised he could trust her.

But he knew already, and he had known it when he came to her window last night. They went to class, sat in their seats, and when she leaned her elbow on his desk, she turned to Lucas with a casual smile.

"Am I rolling out the Plaza again?"

"I think it won't be necessary," he told her, smiling back, and though he didn't speak it, there was a thankful turn to his eyes. She shrugged.

"Good to hear," she told him, turning back forward. It was a new day, for him and for her.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	195. Day 195 Jul 13th - Home 1

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIVE**  
 **JULY 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Home" _[three days]_  
 _part 1 of 3_

They'd been saving up for this for a long time, and they had been debating the benefits of waiting one more year... and then they found out they were having another baby. That had decided it.

Now here they were, four-year-old Emily asleep in Lucas' arms as they visited another house. So far, the search had been both infuriating and a little disheartening.

"So they share a room," Maya shrugged as they walked around the place. "It's good for bonding, we can go to Disneyland instead." He laughed.

"We'll find something, okay? Remember what you and I were talking about?"

Of course she did. They'd been talking about it since Emily was a baby. Every bad day or sleepless night would go and end with them talking of their dream kitchen, or what they saw in the ideal bathroom. They talked about their room, and Emily's room, and any future child's; they had always known they wanted their little girl to have a sibling or two. Maya had been dreaming of giving her kids a home like that for too long. She looked at Lucas, at Emily asleep in his arms.

"Fine," she sighed. "Not this one though. Next house."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	196. Day 196 Jul 14th - Home 2

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-SIX**  
 **JULY 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Home" _[three days]_  
 _part 2 of 3_

"I'm going to be sick," Maya began as they stood just inside the door.

"Are you actually going to be, or are you just saying that because..." he asked, then saw the look on her face. "Yeah, okay, we don't have to go in. Let's just go to the next one, we'll save time, no Cranky Monkey," he looked down to Emily, still snug to his shoulder. It was no mistake they had a name for their daughter being woken from a nap. They would have left her behind today, but they both felt that, if they somehow found The Place, they wanted her with them when they first went through the door.

"Yeah, no Monkey for you, Itty Bitty," she whispered, brushing at that sweet blond head. "Right, let's get out of here," she nodded, and they went on their way. "Next place, maybe skip that, too. The woman I spoke to, she sounded like a... cheek pincher." Lucas cringed, thinking about what would happen if she woke Emily. "Let's check the last one, if it's no good, then we'll give Pinchy a shot."

So back in the car they went, the long day shortened greatly now that they were skipping ahead. They had to hope it would pay off.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	197. Day 197 Jul 15th - Home 3

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-SEVEN**  
 **JULY 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Home" _[three days]_  
 _part 3 of 3_

Emily had woken up just as they were pulling up to the house, which might have fared well in bypassing the monkey.

"Hey, Itty Bitty, want to see the house?" Maya pointed out the window. Emily followed her finger and gave a small nod. "Right, let's go," Maya turned back to Lucas.

Had he gotten that same feeling, too, seeing it out there? Or was it just because Emily had woken up right on time? Whatever it was, she had a good feeling about this place, and after all they'd seen so far, that was all she could want.

They got out of the car, Maya taking Emily up in her arms this time as they went up to the door. She looked to Lucas, and seeing he looked anxious, too, they shared a smile.

"We go in?" he asked after a moment.

"We go in," she replied, breathing out.

"We go in!" Emily piped up, taking her turn, and with that kind of enthusiasm how could they not?

Months from now, it would be through this door that they would bring their second born daughter, into the sunny nursery they had imagined long ago already. It would be through this door they would build their family's home.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	198. Day 198 Jul 16th - Fall

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-EIGHT**  
 **JULY 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Fall" _[one day]_

She'd walked into school that morning with one of her textbooks clutched near in her arms. She stopped at her locker and opened the book, pulling out a very large and pristine leaf.

"Collecting leaves now?" She hadn't heard him coming, and she jumped, almost dropping the leaf. "Sorry," he blinked.

"Sneaking up on people isn't nice."

"What's with the leaf?" She put it down.

"It's for my mother. It's tradition. When I was little, the first day we saw leaves on the ground in the fall she would bring one home and put it on the table. I started doing it, too. Don't make fun," she warned him.

"I wasn't going to," he promised. "I actually think it's kind of... sweet. Traditions, you know?" From anyone else, she would have heard sarcasm, but she heard him and knew it was genuine.

"Here," she reached back in her locker and handed him the leaf. He hesitated. "It's fine, I'll find another. They're kind of all over the place, you know? I'm trying to do something here, take the leaf, Huckleberry," she nodded, and he smiled.

"Thanks," he told her, and she watched him take her leaf to his locker and place it carefully there inside.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	199. Day 199 Jul 17th - Laughter

**DAY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-NINE**  
 **JULY 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Laughter" _[one day]_

She had more than one laugh, and there was one in particular that would send his heart reeling. It was the one that came out of sheer delight, out of abandon, a rolling, sharp sort of laugh that would often go so far as to throw her off balance.

He would see her face, see the joy in it as overpowering as it was, and it would make him feel like all he wanted was to be part of that moment, of whatever it was that could make her that happy, because it had to be pretty good, didn't it?

Knowing she had the power for that kind of laughter in her made her feel like someone with a superpower. He didn't have that in him, but Maya? She had it, like freedom, complete and unapologetic. Just when he'd think he understood who she was deep down, he'd realize he wasn't even close. She felt like something bigger than her body, big as that laugh, big enough that the big picture would continue to escape him. But that was alright. He was ready to discover it.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	200. Day 200 Jul 18th - Eyes

**DAY TWO HUNDRED**  
 **JULY 18TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Eyes" _[one day]_

She looked into his eyes sometimes, and she would linger, just a little. She knew it was risky, showing her hand just a bit, but she couldn't help herself, really. She was drawn to them, to him. He was all about silence sometimes, but then his eyes they were... a symphony.

They told a story, and she didn't have to think about it all that much, she just knew. She couldn't explain how she did, but she looked at Lucas Friar, looked into his eyes, and she saw a whole hidden world just waiting to be realized, the way an artist could...

He looked into her eyes sometimes, and he wouldn't know how o look away. He had discovered over time how much she held on the inside, hidden from them all, but in her eyes... It was the one place she couldn't defend, not always.

All he had to do was lock into that gaze, and it would seem to unfurl before him, not entirely exposed, but extended just enough like she just knew he would understand, and naturally he did. He knew there was pain in her, and seeing it trembling in those eyes, he didn't have to hear it. His eyes told her he was there, and hers accepted it.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	201. Day 201 Jul 19th - Summer 1

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND ONE**  
 **JULY 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Summer" _[three days]_  
 _part 1 of 3_

It was the first summer Lucas was there with them, though you wouldn't have known, going by how he was just there with them, especially when it came to the Splash Wars.

By luck of the draw it was him and her versus Riley and Farkle. The match up had caused some complaint, as though unevenly made.

"Just because he's from Texas and I'm me, it doesn't mean the two of you aren't a couple little psychos either," she'd told them before leading Lucas away. "We are going to win this so hard."

Their battlefield would be the pool, their weapons good aim and quick swimming. They were not allowed to dunk or lift anyone - this was said with three of them staring at Lucas - and time outs were allowed, if used with moderation.

Maya had been the reigning champ every year since it was three of them individually. This time, with Lucas on her side, she felt as confident as ever. He was just as competitive as she was, as soon as they told him about it.

"Meet me at the pool tomorrow morning. I need to see what you've got, Huckleberry," she told him, then with a chuckle, thought of him as Huckleberry _Fin_.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	202. Day 202 Jul 20th - Summer 2

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWO**  
 **JULY 20TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Summer" _[three days]_  
 _part 2 of 3_

When Lucas showed up the next morning as instructed, his first observation was that he couldn't see Maya anywhere. Had he gotten there too early? Just as he had determined to go back and text her, he turned...

"Morning," Maya tipped her head to him before giving him a shove. Even as he fell back and sank beneath the surface, he could see her, taking a cannonball leap, and he knew she'd be somewhere to his left when he came back up... only she wasn't. "I see we have a lot of work to do, Tadpole."

He turned about and found her floating there, blond hair plastered over her face.

"How did you..." he looked back, confused.

"Come on, you're our jock, show me some skills!" she gave him a splash, and right away he went back underwater and disappeared.

Maya turned, on guard, waiting for him to emerge and make his move. That was the part she loved the best, the edge, the...

"Woah!" she startled, feeling something grab her feet and push up, until she was out of the water and tossed back in again.

"Push for a push, right?" she heard him say when she pulled up again. "No lift, no dunk."

"Okay..." she breathed, smirking back at him. "Upgrading you from Tadpole to Ninja Turtle," she told him, holding up her hand for a high five, which he gave. "We've got this."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	203. Day 203 Jul 21st - Summer 3

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THREE**  
 **JULY 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Summer" _[three days]_  
 _part 3 of 3_

The day came for the annual Splash Wars to begin, now with added Ranger Rick. Maya knew exactly how it would go. The others would go haywire, it would degenerate, and she would come out on top, or _they_ would now, which they did. When it was over, they hung back at the pool for a while more, and Lucas served as her ride in the victory parade, going the length of the pool and back with her perched on his shoulders.

She couldn't stop laughing, and he didn't waver once. When they reached the end, she got off, diving back and coming back up.

"Next year, you and me again, deal?" she asked, and he nodded. "Good, that's good."

"Is it because we won, or because you don't want to find out what would happen if we were on opposing teams?" he asked, and she mock gasped, giving him a look that said 'you wanna go?' "Same rules?" he asked, before she swam off. "Maya?" he followed.

"You're facing the champ now, Friar!" she hollered, her voice seeming to echo out like thunder, mixed with laughter, which told him: there were no rules. By the time it ended - he conceded to her - they both knew they couldn't hope for a better partner.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	204. Day 204 Jul 22nd - Perfect

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FOUR**  
 **JULY 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Perfect" _[one day]_

No matter how old she got, and no matter how tired she was in the moment itself, she would never forget what it felt like, when she watched them hand the baby to Lucas, and he carried her over, looking so mesmerized, with tears in his eyes.

He handed her over, keeping close to the both of them, and... that was it. That was as happy as she'd ever been.

There would be moments to rise to the occasion in years to come, but then and there, she couldn't see anything that might top it. Him and her, and their little girl... it was perfect.

She grasped his hand, gave it a squeeze as she looked at him. The last few months had been such a whirlwind, flying by so fast it didn't seem like they could have gotten here so fast. But then that was what the last few years felt like a lot of the time, like it wasn't possible that they were married, that they were now parents, and not those teenagers still trying to find their way.

But they _were_ here, and just for that one perfect little moment, time stood on their side and came to a standstill. This tiny girl was theirs. They had brought her into their world, and they were ready for time to move forward, they were... But if it stood still just a little while longer, there wouldn't be any opposition at all.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	205. Day 205 Jul 23rd - Lead

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIVE**  
 **JULY 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Lead" _[one day]_

They'd walked out of detention, the whole lot of them, and Lucas felt, like all of the others, that they were now under her leadership. She knew where they were headed, what they should do, and in something of a questionable opinion, he trusted her.

Maya was his friend though, so that was kind of the point, wasn't it? He felt confident that he could put his faith in her to guide them, even _if_ she was leading them into mayhem just a bit. And if it went a little too far, well... he was there for that, too. He was going to let her lead them, because she could, because she should, but he'd also stand for the limits when they appeared.

For now, the thing that truly mattered was that they were all having a little fun, and when it came to that, how could he _not_ want to follow her lead? The way she saw the world, he was starting to understand it, and maybe after this day he would understand it even more, get to experience it for himself.

He would follow Maya Hart, he would put paint on his face, and it was going to be one of the best days of his life.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	206. Day 206 Jul 24th - Morning

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIX**  
 **JULY 24TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Morning" _[one day]_

The morning after they had arrived in Texas, the five of them with Pappy Joe, she'd been the first one up, and after crawling quietly over Riley, she'd gone out, right out to stand in front of the house, so she could see the sun, freshly risen and casting colors on the landscape. It was so unlike anything she'd ever seen, and she'd hurried back inside to fetch her sketchpad and pencils.

She was back out there and trying to reproduce what she saw, when a shadow fell over.

"That's pretty good," Lucas told her as he came to sit next to her. "Haven't seen one of these in a while," he nodded to the sky.

"Well now I can see why you'd miss it."

She kept on drawing, knowing he was watching her as she worked, and she didn't bring it up. This was a peaceful moment, the kind that made you glad to be wherever you were in that moment, and she wanted to remember it all.

"Here," she showed him what she'd done, adding two small figures in front, observing the sun's rise. "All done."

Later, as he'd sit on that bull, Lucas knew that a part of him was back out there, sitting with her, watching her draw, rather than in here, about to get tossed like a ragdoll. It was as comforting as it could ever get.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	207. Day 207 Jul 25th - Lamb

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVEN**  
 **JULY 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Lamb" _[one day]_

He could come off like the kind of guy you wouldn't want to mess around with. At his height, in their school, it was sort of a given. That part of his life had been so out of touch with the Lucas they'd gotten to know though, and maybe that was a good thing.

When Maya looked at him now, yeah she was aware of the old him, the Texas Lucas, and a part of her couldn't deny being very intrigued by him. But she knew, now more than ever, that there were two sides to him, and as much as his old self was one of those parts, it was just barely there, compared to the other, bigger part.

Lucas Friar wasn't the big bad wolf, he was... well, image be damned, he was a soft little lamb.

She hadn't exactly been in the presence of many lambs in her life, but if she actually imagined one, or tried to, their qualities ended up sounding similar enough. Peaceful, reassuring, warm...

It might not have been what a teenage boy would ever aspire to be, but as far as she was concerned, having gotten to know him the way she had, it just might have been exactly what she could want or need in her life.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	208. Day 208 Jul 26th - Play

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHT**  
 **JULY 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Play" _[one day]_

Maya didn't know how she'd let herself get roped into doing this. She'd never really had the same sort of involvement with the school's drama department as her friends did, and yet she now stood as one of their supporting players, alongside Lucas.

"Wait, you're in this, too?" she'd asked as they stood in front of the cast list, trying not to sound or look as relieved as she actually felt. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad if he was around, right?

"I am, yeah," he'd said, and she could see he had been on the verge of asking her the same thing. "I didn't know you had..."

"I swear I don't know how I... Zay, it was Zay, he said... Oh, he said..." she turned to go and track down that meddling Twinkletoes. Lucas reached out and stopped her.

"So when do you want to rehearse?"

"What?" she frowned, not following him.

"Our characters? We have a bunch of scenes together, so we should probably..."

Was it too late to back out? One moment ago she'd been relieved to see him, but now the prospect of his being there, of them being stood on stage together for all the school to see... it scared the hell out of her. She couldn't tell him... It would only make it worse. She'd just have to play one more role, wouldn't she?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	209. Day 209 Jul 27th - Courage

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINE**  
 **JULY 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Courage" _[one day]_

One day, Maya would look back at those years and tell her children about it all. She knew she would. What would she tell them? What _could_ she tell them?

Would the person she became look on this time as something that should even be shared, or as something that had best be kept private? Would she want them knowing the girl she'd been? Maybe that Maya Hart would be a thing of the past. And yet... and yet...

Maybe the woman she became would find it in her to let that scared, angry little girl have her voice. Maybe it would be worth it. She was learning to hope, wasn't she? Was it for this that she managed to conjure up a future for herself where she would carry her past with pride, and that letting her imaginary children in on it wouldn't _be_ courageous, it would be what it was, just her, and Lucas...

Lucas...

Maybe it was this strange new hope in her that let her bind him to this fantasy, too. It felt so big in her mind sometimes and she'd be there... they'd be there, and to the chance of sounding much _too_ forward, it was _their_ children she told this tale to, and he was there, looking on with a smile.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	210. Day 210 Jul 28th - Mischief 1

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TEN**  
 **JULY 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Mischief" _[four days]_  
 _part 1 of 4_

All she'd heard had been his plea for her to come over and then the line had gone dead.

Out of curiosity more than anything, she had made her way out there. He opened the door with a spooked look in his eyes.

"You okay there, Huckleberry?" she blinked.

"You have to help me," he pulled her inside.

"Help you to... hello," she stopped when she saw them, a pair of girls, six and eight years old by the looks of them. She turned to Lucas.

"Maya, these are my cousins, Betsy and Sadie. They're visiting from Austin for the weekend." 'And I'm stuck with them,' his tone seemed to add. Far as she'd seen, Lucas didn't have trouble with kids usually, so if it was this bad now... He kept staring at her.

"Excuse us for a minute," Maya grabbed him by his shirt's front and pulled him into the kitchen. "Okay, so here's the plan..."

"Plan? There's a plan?" he sounded glad.

"Please, like I haven't had my share of inept babysitters. No offense. I know all their tricks, and since it's _me_ , well... I can think of a few ways to keep those two in line... if it's really what you need. I mean are they that bad?" He hesitated, then kicked off his shoe, revealing an array of widely painted pink and purple toenails. She choked back a laugh and nodded. "Okay, let's start with phase one."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	211. Day 211 Jul 29th - Mischief 2

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND ELEVEN**  
 **JULY 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Mischief" _[four days]_  
 _part 2 of 4_

It was always easier to get fooled when they were all new to each other. They couldn't know if the things they got told were real or not. When she asked the two girls if their cousin had told them about the ghost in the fireplace, they were at first hesitant, or the older girl Betsy had been.

But then when they'd run to Lucas and asked him about it, he'd played the role perfectly, asking Maya why she'd told them, especially so close to the time when it came out in search of little girls to eat. The cousins gave gasps.

"It's okay though, if we hide and stay very quiet until it goes back in there, come on," Maya held out her hands, and as expected, they hurried to take hold and the four of them scurried off into Lucas' room and shut the door.

To further reassure them, Lucas sat against the door, while Maya sat with the two trembling girls. She looked back to Lucas with a barely disguised self-satisfied smirk, and it took all he had in him not to break character and smile back. It was looking to be a much quieter evening already: they hadn't specified how long they'd have to hide, had they? They could carry this out as long as they needed to...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	212. Day 212 Jul 30th - Mischief 3

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWELVE**  
 **JULY 30TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Mischief" _[four days]_  
 _part 3 of 4_

Misdirection had given Maya time to hide her phone outside the room earlier. She had made a quick switch to vibrate, leaving it on the noisiest surface she could find.

Five minutes into their hiding scheme, Lucas covertly pressed a call in from _his_ phone. When the sound of the rattle reached their ears, the girls squealed, then covered their mouths just as quick. Maya had her arms around them, and they leaned in.

"It's okay, your cousin won't let the ghost eat you, will you, Huckleberry?" she asked, and when Betsy and Sadie's heads lifted back up, Lucas gave her an exasperated look. The last thing he needed was for the nickname to spread. "But let's keep quiet, okay?" Maya told the girls, and they nodded at once. "So is this your first time in New York?" she whispered after a minute. They nodded.

For a little while, they would speak in whispers, and whenever it seemed maybe on the verge of getting out of hand, Lucas would call her phone again, treating them to a new rattle from the fireplace ghost, and they'd be quiet all over again.

He looked so stunned that it had been so simple, though he eventually got into the game, the four of them hiding in his room and playing quietly with a deck of cards from off his desk.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	213. Day 213 Jul 31st - Mischief 4

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN**  
 **JULY 31ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Mischief" _[four days]_  
 _part 4 of 4_

The Friar cousins were now asleep, curled up on their older cousin's bed, leaving him and his backup to tiptoe out of the room without waking them.

"That was kind of brilliant," he admitted with a long held back smile.

"Well, it is what it is," she shrugged casually. "Hey, come in here," she turned into the bathroom, browsing for cotton balls and polish remover, pushing them into his hands. "For your toes. But seeing as I just saved you, I _will_ need a picture of those feet first."

"What for?" he asked, suddenly nervous.

"Art?" she shrugged with an innocent smile.

"You're not going to send it to everyone, are you" he asked, already resigned.

"Not _everyone_ , no," she vowed happily.

"Fine, alright," he sighed, removing his shoes, and Maya's laughter erupted, seeing the other foot in sparkly blue polish. "I thought they'd calm down after."

"Oh, Huckleberry, must you be such a Huckleberry?" she asked, a moment before taking a picture. "Thanks."

"What do I do with these?" he asked, holding up the remover and cotton balls.

"Sit, hand them over," she stuck her phone back in her pocket. It seemed only fair at this point.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	214. Day 214 Aug 1st - Conflict

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN**  
 **AUGUST 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Conflict" _[one day]_

He hadn't wanted her to be this upset. Still, much as he'd tried to see what had gotten into her all of a sudden, she had simply marched off, and he'd been stuck there, wanting to go after her but also knowing his time had come to take his turn on Tombstone the bull.

What was he supposed to do? He couldn't just back away, and still... Even as he marched off to do his part, a side of him felt detached, gone and growing further.

She wouldn't really stop talking to him, would she? She knew it was important to him, now that he was here. She knew what was at stake for him. She would understand, wouldn't she? If she didn't... If she wasn't his friend anymore... If she never called him Huckleberry anymore, never leaned on his desk...

She wouldn't do that, wouldn't take it all away...

For one moment, he had actually considered stopping and going back to her, but he didn't. He had to see this through. She would understand, she would. He would be exactly the guy she had imagined him to be, she would have any number of new things to make fun of him for, and he would take it gladly. He was making the right decision. They would be alright. He had to believe it.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	215. Day 215 Aug 2nd - Dress

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN**  
 **AUGUST 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Dress" _[one day]_

He didn't think she noticed, and he was kind of glad for that, but when he first saw her step forward in that little red dress, he forgot himself. He looked at her, this excited and bouncy little thing, and he forgot where he was or what he was even doing there.

It was the semi-formal, it came back to him before long, but in that one moment, the world was gone. The world was Maya Hart in that red dress.

And then they were all on the dance floor, and suddenly there she was again, right in front of him, and words struggled to leave him. It was the strangest thing he had experienced, and much as he tried to surpass it or understand it, he could not. He was dancing with her, no matter how much he tried to play it off, and Maya saw right through him on that one. At least it kept her from seeing what really had him distracted, and for that he was relieved.

From that moment on though, he would never forget that dress, and he could almost say that seeing her in red would go and take him back to this moment, to the semi-formal, when Maya had his mind sort of... bewitched and confused, all because of a little red dress.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	216. Day 216 Aug 3rd - Distance

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN**  
 **AUGUST 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Distance" _[one day]_

She hadn't expected to be the kind of girlfriend who would get so wound up over her boyfriend being out of town for a few days, but then here she was, three days parted, and she thought for sure she would not make it through the last one.

How had she gotten to this place, where Lucas Friar being way off in Texas while she remained in New York was putting her stomach all in knots? She already knew that the moment she saw that face again, she'd hop right into his arms, make a fool of herself, and she wouldn't be even a little shy about it in the moment, even if right now that was not the case.

The depth of it all left her feeling like she had no control over herself, and she didn't know if that was everyone, but she found it a little scary sometimes. It forced her to leave herself open and unprotected, and in the past that had never turned out so well. She didn't want to get hurt.

Lucas had to come back, he had to take away the little panic that had been bubbling inside her chest since he'd left, and then she could just be herself again, not this oddball that turned her into the nervous girlfriend. She knew it was for all she felt for him, and it wouldn't really go away, not entirely. She cared about him that much.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	217. Day 217 Aug 4th - Texas 1

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN**  
 **AUGUST 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Texas" _[seven days]_

 _part 1 of 7 [*AU]_

"Look, if I had feelings for you, don't you think I'd just come right out and say it? Well, I don't, so what I do say is ha-h..."

The words disintegrated as his hands had come up to meet her face the moment she had approached, and in the split second after her breath had caught, he was kissing her.

It was not as though either one of them had much of anything to compare this kiss to, but what they could both say in the end was this: surprised as she'd been, she did not pull away. If anything, she lived it.

For six seconds or so, their lips were pressed together, and Maya felt as though all the stars in the sky had been pulled down to burst beneath the lids of her eyes, shut down the moment he had pressed his lips to hers. If he hadn't been holding on to her, she might have lost control of her knees and fallen to the ground.

Instead she stayed right where she was, as he pulled back and she slowly opened her eyes again and looked at him. He was shocked. Good. That made two of them. Silence set in, complete except for the fire, and the wind, and the bugs.

"Why did you do that?" she finally breathed.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	218. Day 218 Aug 5th - Texas 2

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN**  
 **AUGUST 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Texas" _[seven days]_

 _part 2 of 7 [*AU]_

"I don't know," he said. "It felt like the thing to do, like I didn't even have to think about it, I... I'm sorry, Maya, I..."

"Why are you apologizing?" she asked, feeling at once just a bit crushed, until his eyes widened back and he almost smiled.

"I just thought you didn't want me to, or... did you?" he asked quietly, and now it was her turn to think on it.

All she had to go on right now was the wild tremor still in her heart, ever since that kiss, and she bowed her head to give herself a chance to regain her composure.

She could feel him staring, and having taken a step back before, now she could only say that it was taking all her self-control not to take a step forward all over again.

"If I say I wasn't against it, can that be enough for now?" she finally looked up.

"Yeah, of course it can," he smiled, and it was such a warm, happy smile, relieved smile, and hopeful, that she did not know what she could possibly say. "Can I walk you back to the house, or do you want to stay here some more?" he asked, indicating the campfire.

"It's nice out," she shrugged. "It'd be a shame not to enjoy it, right?" He smiled, and she smiled, too, and after a moment they sat back down.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	219. Day 219 Aug 6th - Texas 3

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETEEN**  
 **AUGUST 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Texas" _[seven days]_

 _part 3 of 7 [*AU]_

They couldn't say how long they stayed sitting out there, quietly watching the fire... and each other. Only in time Pappy Joe had come thundering in, wondering what had become of them, and when he'd seen them there, he'd given a chuckle and informed the pair of them that it was time they all went and got some sleep.

So he escorted them back to the house, neither of them saying a word. When they stepped into the house, Pappy Joe pointed his finger in two different directions, as though to say ' _you_ go here, and _you_ go there.'

Maya looked back to Lucas, found him doing the same, staring back at her. She wished she could say something to him, but with his grandfather standing there, it just didn't seem like the right way to go. They'd have to settle with what they had.

"Good night, Maya," he told her.

"Good night... Bull Rider," she tempted a smirk, and that cracking chuckle was their parting, as he went off to join Farkle and Zay, and she went the other way to the room she shared with Riley. Whatever had happened that night, it would have to wait.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	220. Day 220 Aug 7th - Texas 4

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY**  
 **AUGUST 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Texas" _[seven days]_  
 _part 4 of 7_

Farkle & Zay were whispering among themselves when he came into the room, and he tried not to listen to the questions they immediately started to ask, about where he had been, if he had been with Maya this whole time, if something had happened... He said he was tired and quickly changed before getting into bed.

He wasn't going to tell them, not here, not like this, if at all. What if Maya didn't want people to know? They hadn't really had the chance to talk about it yet.

She was okay with it though, wasn't she? She'd said she wasn't not okay with it, but for the rest... Had he moved too fast, too far? He would never want to lose her, especially for something he had done, something... something that still left his head just a bit dizzy, and not even in a bad way.

He had kissed her. He had kissed Maya. He had wanted to, in that moment more than ever before, and then he'd just done it.

Sat around that campfire it had all seemed so simple, only now, when thrown back into the rest of the world and left on his own, he had to wonder if he hadn't just gone too far.

Maya meant too much to him to have been lost over a kiss, especially one he had wanted, and one that had his mouth locked in a smile.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	221. Day 221 Aug 8th - Texas 5

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE**  
 **AUGUST 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Texas" _[seven days]_  
 _part 5 of 7_

She knew Riley was pretending to sleep when she came into the room, and partly for not wanting to address anything now, partly for wanting it all to remain her own a little while longer, she didn't call her on it. She silently changed and then sat on the bed.

But she couldn't lie down. She could feel it in her, she wouldn't sleep if she tried, and she hated to lie there that way. So she remained as she was, seated, silent...

Lucas had kissed her. She'd kissed him back, but he had started it. She could still recall how it had felt, everything about it, and she had half a mind to try and draw something, to immortalize the memory, but she didn't need to. She didn't see herself ever forgetting this moment.

It wasn't just the kiss itself, although that had been a revelation in and of itself, but it was all that had come before and after, and even now, as she sat on this bed. It was all so much that she couldn't sleep, couldn't even make herself lie down and try to sleep.

Was this what it felt like always? Was this what it would always feel like? Or was it that it had been the first... or that it had been the first, but with _him_?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	222. Day 222 Aug 9th - Texas 6

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO**  
 **AUGUST 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Texas" _[seven days]_  
 _part 6 of 7_

This could well reveal itself as the worst idea she'd had, but there was just no way around it. If she wanted to get past this insomnia, she'd have to do something about it. Riley was sleeping for real now, and Maya took this as her cue.

She got up and left the room without making a sound and went through the darkened house until she stood at the door to the boys' room. She raised her fist, meaning to give a very light knock, only to freeze when the door opened before she could do a thing.

Lucas stood there, just as shocked. Only then, he took her outstretched arm and carefully led her away, out to the porch. He closed the door behind them and turned to her, still as silent.

Maya stared back at him. It might have been coincidence, might have been that he was going to the bathroom, or that he needed a snack. But she knew it wasn't. He was looking at her, and she knew: he'd been on his way to do just what she had done, or... that was it, right? Unless he was going to see Riley? She took a breath.

"Couldn't sleep?" she slowly asked. He looked like the words failed him, then...

"I couldn't stop thinking about that kiss," he admitted.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	223. Day 223 Aug 10th - Texas 7

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREE**  
 **AUGUST 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Texas" _[seven days]_  
 _part 7 of 7_

If it wasn't that she could still recall the warmth of his hand on her arm a moment ago, she might have believed it was all a dream. Now, knowing that it was real, she experienced an unmistakable feeling, a battle of hope and disbelief: joy.

"Can't stop thinking, like you think it was a mistake, or can't stop... thinking, like... that was a good thing, when can I do it again?" she asked, wishing she sounded more casual than she did, as she met his eye and found him patiently listening, looking at her... smiling so fully that it made her knees a little weak. "Oh..." she breathed.

"Yeah, that one," he admitted, nervous.

"Well, I... I was hoping that'd be the one," she smiled back. There was a pause. "So..."

"When we get back to New York, do you think... you and I, we could... We can take our time, whatever works, I... I would really like if we did that, if you wanted to..."

"Oh, I want to, I want to very much, I..." she stepped up to him, and now it was her who took his face in her hands, though the kiss she gave him was brief, like a promise. "Goodnight, Lucas," she told him before stepping back into the house, her cheeks warm and blushing as she went to bed, dreaming of Texas.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	224. Day 224 Aug 11th - Transform

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR**  
 **AUGUST 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Transform" _[one day]_

Had he ever looked at her this way before? She couldn't say. But here they were now, and when she and Riley had stepped out in their new 'Texas appropriate' clothes, the first thing she'd noticed was the look on Lucas' face.

He was looking right back at her, in such a way that she wondered if he'd notice anything else happening around them that wasn't her. She tried to be casual about it, but inside her mind was bubbling over with any number of questions and feelings of her own, and they boiled down to this.

Had he ever looked at her this way before? Was it just a trick of clothing, or was there more to it? She was already confused enough as it was, and now this... this could turn into a real problem. How was she going to know for sure?

Did she even want to know, to take this further than it currently was, forcing into light what had so far been quietly safe in the dark? Was she ready for that? She wanted to think that she was, sometimes.

But as good of a game as she tended to talk, the thought of taking this step forward just terrified her and made her want to turn and run the other way. It was all the clothes, it had to be. She had it good in the dark.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	225. Day 225 Aug 12th - Call

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE**  
 **AUGUST 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Call" _[one day]_

Her mother had answered the phone first, of course. She'd come into her room with such a smirk, informing her that a boy was calling for her. Maya had taken the receiver from her and recognized the number, trying to brush it off as 'only Lucas,' even though his calling her home phone was not an entirely expected event.

"Sorry, wasn't sure what to do, if I should wait. I have your phone." Maya blinked, hand slipping into her pocket. Empty. "You passed it to me in class, remember? Forgot to give it back. Do you want me to hold on to it until tomorrow? Or I could bring it to you now."

"You don't have to, I..." she hesitated, seeing her mother was looking on with great curiosity. She did kind of need it though... and what if he went through it? "Okay, well... if that's okay, you could bring it yeah... thanks, Lucas."

After they hung up, she turned back to her mother, knowing that she wouldn't get out from under that one.

"He's just bringing my phone back, I left it."

"Well that's very nice of him, all sort of gentleman like," her mother smirked, and Maya rolled her eyes, much as she tried not to. "Why does he have it in the first place?" She was not going to get into that with her. And Lucas was on his way.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	226. Day 226 Aug 13th - Realize

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX**  
 **AUGUST 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Realize" _[one day]_

They had lived together a while now. They had been together longer still. In all this time, he had seen a lot of her, gotten to know her in ways even deeper than he previously had. And in all of this time, all the good times and not so good times, this was what he'd realized: however much he had believed he loved her, now he knew... he had only ever scratched the surface, hadn't even made a mark.

Well now time had passed, and he hadn't just scratched that surface, he'd wedged a dent so deep it could never be closed again. He could not explain what it was like, waking up with her, watching her go through the motions of the day, watching her draw, and paint, and having her be the last person he saw at night. And as much of a realization as this could be, it ushered in another, just as life changing if not more so.

He had never been more certain of who he was, and where he stood. He was equally certain that this feeling was not about to change. He loved her. He was going to love her for as long as he lived. He was going to spend his life with her, if she would have him, and so he knew. He was going to ask her to marry him. And he had an idea of how he would do it.

 _[Prequel to "Color", days 86-89]_

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	227. Day 227 Aug 14th - Care

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN**  
 **AUGUST 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Care" _[one day]_

It was not one of her best moments. One moment she had been up and about, hamming it up, and the next, with a squeal of surprise, she had fallen.

She was still attempting to sit up, slowly, when he appeared overhead, larger than life, and for a moment, seeming to glow, until she realized that was only the sun.

"Maya, are you okay?" he reached to help her and she let him. She was in pain, and she hoped to be casual about...

"Ow! Stop, stop!" she gripped on hard when she put her foot on the ground and saw stars.

"Let me see," he helped her back down, and she surrendered her foot, giving him a look that said 'Caution, Huckleberry.' "Don't think it's broken," he said, reaching in his bag and pulling out what she guessed was his gym shirt and wrapping it around her foot. "It's clean," he promised. "Ready to go again?" he stood.

"Yeah, okay," she breathed, freezing just a bit when he picked her up off the ground. "You're just a regular old cowboy, aren't you?" she managed a laugh, holding on as he carried her off. He laughed back.

"And you get in tumbles easy, so good thing I am, right?" he teased back.

"Sure, let's go with that," she shrugged, arms around his neck and feeling no pain.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	228. Day 228 Aug 15th - Capsule

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT**  
 **AUGUST 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Capsule" _[one day]_

They had gathered, and shovels to the ground they dug out the time capsule. It had been so many years since they'd put it there, the four of them, but they remembered the day they'd done it.

They weren't those kids anymore. The two of them were married, had a daughter and another on the way. Maya had Emily in her lap as they each pulled out the items they buried.

Lucas let Emily hold his transfer slip, and they watched her stare at it with confusion and a tiny bit of disappointment that there wasn't in fact something magical inside the box. They explained it to her, and maybe she found it magical after all.

When Maya pulled out the photo, she stared at it for a while. Lucas had spent years wondering what she'd put in there, and when he saw it, he smiled.

"You got what you wanted," he said, as Emily gasped at recognizing her grandparents. Maya kissed the top of her head, looking back at Lucas, then the picture.

"I did," she smiled. "I wanted a family. I got two. That sounded bad. You know what I mean, I can tell by that Huckleberry smile on your face," she pointed at him. "When I put that picture in the box, I didn't want you guys to look, didn't want to hope." He took the picture and looked at it, feeling its importance.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	229. Day 229 Aug 16th - Read

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE**  
 **AUGUST 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Read" _[one day]_

She did not enjoy assigned reading. She never had, and she knew it was just who she was. She'd get too restless, and knowing she had not chosen to read the book but was being forced to...

When they'd been handed their latest assignment, she had already been sinking in her seat. Then she thought she heard something from behind and turned to see Lucas smiling.

"What's so funny?" she asked, and he looked at her, holding up the assigned book.

"I've read it before," he revealed, and she leaned in, intrigued. He looked... shy?

"Sweet, you can give me the short version."

"No way, you have to read it yourself. I think you're actually going to like it, too," he told her, and she picked up the book - his copy, not hers - and thumbed through it, giving doubtful noises. "I dare you," he said, and that did it. She turned forward and turned to the first page. "Uh, Maya, that's..."

"Shh, I'm reading," she waved him off.

The next thing she knew, the bell was ringing, and she startled. Twenty minutes had gone by, and she saw she had been reading the entire time, locked in, which hadn't seemed to bother their teacher. She turned back to Lucas.

"I am going to crush that dare."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	230. Day 230 Aug 17th - Reason 1

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY**  
 **AUGUST 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Reason" _[two days]_  
 _part 1 of 2_

He was like a voice inside her head now. No matter what she did, he was there. It wasn't as though she hadn't dealt with something like that before. Riley's voice had been in there for years.

But Lucas had a different sort of presence in her mind. She called it a voice, but more often than not, he was the Silent Ranger, stood there in her thoughts, and she would find the meanings to his stares and put the words to them.

He wasn't there to tell her 'don't do that,' it was more like 'should you do that?'

Whether or not she listened was another matter, but it didn't change the fact that it was there. It had taken her a while to realize or in truth acknowledge that it was there in the first place, and now that she had... the voice... the stare of reason. Sometimes she would turn and glare at him, seemingly for no reason, and he would have no idea where it came from, or that it was in fact directed at the Little Ranger in her head.

She could never tell him any of that. He would have it to hold over her, even if he probably wouldn't, and really, for her, it would all just feel a little embarrassing. Better she kept it to herself.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	231. Day 231 Aug 18th - Reason 2

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE AUGUST 18TH 2016

PROMPT: "Reason" [two days]  
part 2 of 2

Some days were harder than others for him. It grew harder for him to look back at the life he'd left behind in Texas and not miss it so much that all he wanted now was to go back to it.

It never lasted. He had great friends and they helped. But one of them did so more often than she realized. Maya Hart was the reason he didn't make a run for Austin most of the time, and she usually didn't even need to do anything special for it.

Most times she was so out there that it would be all that it took. She would just exist in his life, this girl who understood parts of him most others didn't, and that would be enough. He would be at ease again, whatever passing anxiety he'd felt suddenly banished.

One of these days, maybe he'd be able to express his gratitude in the proper way, but for now the best that he had was exactly what he already gave, a friendship that was whole, that sought to protect her in the knowing way that he had. She needed someone there, a lot of the time. He knew it, and so did she. He could be that for her, and he was. He did it gladly, at ease with his location once again.

See you tomorrow! - mooners 


	232. Day 232 Aug 19th - Willful

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO**  
 **AUGUST 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Willful" _[one day]_

It was hard not to get swept up with her. She would take off on some kind of plan, with such determination, and he could do little but go along for the ride. And then before he'd know it, they would be off on an adventure. She got him to go out there, to do things he might not have allowed himself to do, not here, not anymore. She brought it out of him in the best way possible, and that was what made it special, made her special even more.

She didn't just do it for him, she did it for all of them. It was part of who she was, of the person he had become such great friends with, and it made him excited for times yet to come.

The day they had broken out of detention, that one remained as one of his best memories, if not the single best, and he knew he would hold on to it all his life. Maya had given him that. She had also shown him that sometimes it could all go too far, too fast, but even there... even there, he got the sense that if they hadn't tried at all, because they were afraid of going too far, they never would have gotten to those places where they'd gone just far enough and made those great memories. She was confusing that way. Confusing and wonderful...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	233. Day 233 Aug 20th - Words 1

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE**  
 **AUGUST 20TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Words" _[three days]_  
 _part 1 of 3_

He stared at the page, tried to find the words. They were all there in his head, somewhere, they had to be. The feelings were there, as they'd been for so long, but trying to express them in a written form, a spoken form...

He had one word written so far, one name: Maya. It was all about her, wasn't it? He was writing this for her. He had put in her name as the space to begin from, and then rather than words he'd been hit with those memories. Days upon days, turning into years, where she had been friend, and ally, where he had loved her and she had loved him, until this moment, when the time for words had become a necessity.

It had seemed so easy at first, like it would all come naturally, only it didn't, and after a while he came to the conclusion that... maybe it wasn't supposed to come easy. Maybe it was supposed to require for him to dig this deep, until he could discover the proper words to speak on the day where they'd stand in front of each other, in front of their friends and family to be united as husband and wife. What if he couldn't do it? What if she said all these things about him, and he'd have nothing?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	234. Day 234 Aug 21st - Words 2

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR**  
 **AUGUST 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Words" _[three days]_  
 _part 2 of 3_

She wasn't going to write a single word unless she had enough for a full sentence. She wasn't going to be that person who sat there, with a mountain of crumpled up papers growing at her feet.

They were just words, weren't they? Vows... People wrote them every day, and they were beautiful, made people cry, or laugh... But what if she said the wrong things? What if they just stared in silence. And then Lucas...

They had made it this far, but she still felt lie it might fall apart, and it would be her fault. He would stop and realize he'd made a mistake, and...

"No... No... Stop that..." she muttered to herself, sitting up and taking a deep breath.

He had put that engagement ring on her finger, they lived together, and they were happy... She had never felt this happy, so what if it all went away? It could... It had before... Not this time, she had to believe. Not this time. This wasn't like old times. And things had stayed well that had gone well. She had to believe that this would, too.

"Write... just write," she told herself. She closed her eyes a moment, and she called his face into her mind.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	235. Day 235 Aug 22nd - Words 3

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE**  
 **AUGUST 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Words" _[three days]_  
 _part 3 of 3_

It might have appeared as though she was asleep, curled up on the bed with the notebook. But she heard him approaching, and she knew what he was doing, so when be leaned across her and tried to get the book from her, she rolled back and grasped on to him, and in the span of seconds, she had him pinned down, the notebook and her vows safe and sound.

"Lucas Huckleberry Friar the third!"

"That's not my name, you know what it is now!" he tried to free himself, barely.

"Do I? Or did I change it for you?" she teased. "Just what do you think you're doing? You don't get to see those yet."

"So you wrote them then?" he asked.

"Yes," she told him, then, "Mostly. I'm getting there... I'll be ready when..."

"So you've got nothing either?" he asked.

"How do people do this?" she threw her hands up in desperation. "It's like 'I love you, I want to be with you as long as I live and after that, too,' what else is there to say? Look me in the eyes and tell me if I mean it," she looked down at him, and when he smiled, she did, too.

"I see it," he promised. "Do you see it?"

"I see it, and I might blush." He kissed her, and she relaxed at once. They were only words. They'd get there.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	236. Day 236 Aug 23rd - Curiosity

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIX**  
 **AUGUST 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Curiosity" _[one day]_

The doors to the gym had been closed when they came into school that morning, marked by a sign forbidding them to come inside. To Maya, it felt like an invitation.

All morning, between one class and the next, she would find an excuse to walk by, just to see if she might see something. By lunch, she had much more time, so she quickly finished, leaving the cafeteria.

"Wait up... Maya, hey," she stopped when she heard Lucas' voice and turned toward him.

"I'm just going to take a peek, Ranger Rick..." she started, then she got a good look at him. "You want to see, too, don't you?"

"If anybody asks, I was trying to stop you."

"How... noble of you," she gave a glare, though it came attached to a smirk.

So they carried on toward the gym, sneaking about like a pair of amateur spies. They stopped across the hall from the gym doors, looking this way and that.

"You stay and keep a lookout," she told him. "I'll go over there and take a..."

"I want to see, too," he frowned, and she sighed, grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him across the hall with her. They cracked the door open together, and they both looked at once, him over and her under. "Woah..." Lucas breathed, and she pulled him back.

Now they'd seen. Now they had to go.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	237. Day 237 Aug 24th - Fear

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN**  
 **AUGUST 24TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Fear" _[one day]_

She didn't spook easy, he knew that. Even at Halloween, you could maybe get her with a jump scare, but beyond that, no. Even then, he knew Maya could be afraid a lot of the time, and it had nothing to do with ghosts or vampires or slashers.

He had grown to recognize her fear, even in its most disarming mask. He knew when her bravado stood solely to protect her from showing exactly what she felt, when it was the furthest thing from brave. Sometimes he'd try to reassure her, somehow, and at first he'd think she was rejecting that help, but eventually he'd come to understand even her gratitude could wear a mask.

In a way he felt that was the way to go. She was both fear and protector all at once. But on the other hand... Trying to cover that fear could only do so much, couldn't it... It'd be so much better to have someone there by your side, at least some of the time.

He could be that for her, and he wanted to be. So he was. And Maya, she seemed to understand, seemed to accept the gesture and take it gladly. He wouldn't call out her secret, wouldn't show her masks. Fear wasn't always a bad thing, and he needed his own as much as she did.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	238. Day 238 Aug 25th - Honesty

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT**  
 **AUGUST 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Honesty" _[one day]_

She knew she could be truthful with him when she needed to be. It wasn't that she enjoyed telling lies, but sometimes it just felt like the only way to get by. Lucas had grown to become someone very important in her life. He was her friend, and that was great, but there was more to it than that.

The more she'd gotten to know him, the more they had developed this sort of kinship, him and her, which had led to her confident honesty. It felt as though she wouldn't be sacrificing anything by being truthful with him, and that had more worth to her than she could even begin to describe.

That had bloomed into something like comfort and ease, and she hoped in some way he knew that. She hadn't told him herself, not in so many words, but she figured he had to know, didn't he? He was a smart boy, a good, kind, smart boy, who understood her in ways few others did, and she had to trust that this counted for something.

She didn't know where it would take them in the long run, if it would turn into something bigger. All she knew was that she wanted it to grow, she needed it. She couldn't bear it disappearing, growing so small until there was nothing left. She needed that dose of honesty in her life.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	239. Day 239 Aug 26th - Noble

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-NINE**  
 **AUGUST 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Noble" _[one day]_

He was so good sometimes it almost felt as though she wouldn't be able to bear it. The thought that he should be who _he_ was, and the knowledge of who _she_ was... it almost didn't seem as though the two should mesh.

But she felt good around him, felt the world could be better. It was hard to explain, and all she knew was that it was a good feeling she couldn't think of doing without, except at the same time there was also that sensation like she hadn't earned it, hadn't deserved it.

Lucas had his past, too, she knew, but still it didn't make him any less in her eyes. She had only ever known him as he was now, just like he... he had only ever known her this way. Would she make him worse, being around her? Wouldn't it be the better answer, for her to ensure that didn't happen? People should get to know this version of him, should get to feel what she felt.

He would tell her she was being silly, that she was just as good. She might even believe it, for a while, but in the long run... She wasn't built for that kind of self-confidence, was she? She wasn't like him.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	240. Day 240 Aug 27th - Birthday

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY**  
 **AUGUST 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Birthday" _[one day]_

She was sure she'd been dreaming, until she opened her eyes and became certain the knocking was real. Someone was at her window, and not just anyone.

"Making a habit of this, Huckleberry?" she asked when she opened the window.

"Only on special occasions," he reached at his side and deposited a wrapped box on the window sill.

"Oh... well in that case you may proceed," she declared with a smile she could not contain at all.

"Happy birthday, Maya," he told her, sitting on the sill when she'd taken the box and started ripping at the paper with all the curiosity it deserved. "It's not much, but I saw it and thought you might like it," he explained before she opened the box, revealing an empty but ornate frame, large enough for a canvas. "You can put something in there, something special, you know?" he went on, with a voice that seemed to nervously ask if she liked it. As a response, and an honest one at that, she turned back to him and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Something very special," she promised him. "Thanks, Lucas. Really. Best thing today, I know it will be."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	241. Day 241 Aug 28th - Rattle

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-ONE**  
 **AUGUST 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Rattle" _[one day]_

In a matter of seconds, the realization had bowled her over so hard that she felt chilled, unsettled. He couldn't ride that thing, he just couldn't. He would get killed, and it would be her fault for ever putting him into that competition.

It was supposed to be a good thing, to help him get over that failed sheep ride, supposed to be good fun and nothing else. Instead, she watched a man get tossed like a rag doll, and the moment her mind replaced the man with her Lucas, it felt like the whole world was about to crumble.

He was going out there to prove something and he was going to get killed and she would lose him.

No... It couldn't happen like that, there was still time to stop it, there had to be. He would listen to her, he'd remember he didn't want to do it in the first place, and then they'd all go home and laugh about how stupid they'd all been to even consider it.

They'd go, and he wouldn't do this, wouldn't ride, wouldn't get hurt... Her heart was thrumming, shaken with the thought. They had to put a stop to it, she couldn't let him do this, couldn't stand the thought to even see it...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	242. Day 242 Aug 29th - Special

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO**  
 **AUGUST 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Special" _[one day]_  
 _(see two days ago, "Birthday")_

She took some gifts very seriously. If she understood the meaning behind them, she would want them to be treated with the respect they deserved.

One year, Lucas had given her a frame for her birthday, and told her she could put something special in it. She'd told him she would, and she intended to keep that promise.

It really was beautiful in a way she could appreciate, and she waited to find just the right kind of special painting inside, special as it should be.

But time moved on, and still the frame remained empty, propped up on her dresser. Nothing she did felt like it deserved to go in there, and she didn't think ever would deserve it that had been intended to be. It would happen in time, and suddenly she would just know.

A year would go by, then a few more after that, until Lucas had gone from being friend to boyfriend, and in time they would live together, and get married, and one day, in their small apartment, they would be joined by a little daughter. And over her crib, hung securely, would be an ornate frame, free of a canvas, as though to declare that no work of pencil or brush could amount to the creation that lived in this room, as special as could be.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	243. Day 243 Aug 30th - Guitar

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-THREE**  
 **AUGUST 30TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Guitar" _[one day]_

It was a little while after Maya had received the guitar revealed to have belonged to her great grandmother that Lucas had ended up inquiring about another guitar, this one having belonged to his great grandfather, and when he'd tracked it down, his Pappy Joe had shipped it off to New York for him to have.

So he'd told Maya how he had it now, and he'd asked whether she might consider giving him lessons. He'd offered to pay her, but she'd told him it wouldn't be necessary.

He went over to her place the next afternoon, and when the two instruments were taken out of their cases, for a moment, neither one spoke. When they did, or when Maya did, he knew they'd had the same thought. Once upon a time, many years ago, these two guitars had been in the same room, carried by their great grandparents, and now here they were, back together again.

Neither one could say what it might mean for them, but after a beat they put the thought aside, to focus on the task at hand, which was to teach Lucas how to play. Maya was not always the most patient of teachers, but he seemed to respond to that, and so the lessons began.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	244. Day 244 Aug 31st - Light

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR**  
 **AUGUST 31ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Light" _[one day]_

She was incredibly agile for jumping on people's backs, he'd come to discover. She was small, and as much as she'd be prone for jumping, he could pick her up so easily it didn't seem an effort at all.

He didn't think she liked that all too much, not unless she wanted him to, though sometimes it did seem the easiest way to stop her from getting herself in trouble, as though those few disorienting seconds in the air were able to give her sufficient time to collect her thoughts and reconsider.

As for the other way around, when she jumped on him, well...

He remembered the first time she'd done it, in gym class. He'd been so preoccupied, he'd barely processed it and only automatically held her secure until she would get off. It wasn't until later that he'd been left to wonder how she could pull that off, him being that much taller than her and all...

When he'd see her do it again, on someone else, he'd be startled, not to mention a little impressed, to be honest. It was oddly reminiscent of the people he'd seen back in Texas, riding the bull, and the thought of tiny Maya Hart gripped on for dear life on one of those was both terrifying and amazing. He had a sneaking suspicion she'd win it all.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	245. Day 245 Sep 1st - Flirt 1

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Flirt" _[two days]_  
 _part 1 of 2_

It wasn't as though she did it on purpose, if that was really what it was. She hadn't even realized people saw it that way until people had voted them both as favorite couple in the yearbook. Suddenly she'd been left to re-examine and re-evaluate... everything.

Was she really flirting with Lucas? Was he...

No, no, he wouldn't, would he? She wasn't even doing it, she didn't think she was. She just messed with him a lot, no big deal, unless... No, she would have known, right?

Sure, they were still young, it was possible they'd be doing things without realizing, but this definitely felt like something a person had to do consciously, didn't it? She had not done that, so then it couldn't be flirting. She messed with plenty of people, didn't she? Sure, she might have given Huckleberry more than his fair share, but could she be blamed when she had so much fun doing it, and he looked like he did, too?

Maybe... when put that way... it could be considered... to some extent... Okay, maybe... maybe it was flirting, just a little.

But so what if it was? Nothing was ever going to come of it and she knew that. He was Lucas, she was Maya, and it couldn't be, could it?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	246. Day 246 Sep 2nd - Flirt 2

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-SIX**  
 **SEPTEMBER 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Flirt" _[two days]_  
 _part 2 of 2_

He had no idea what he was doing half the time. He'd think he did, but more often than not he'd come out on the other side feeling nothing but foolish. He might have come off as confident, but the truth was any truly successful exercises in flirting on his part was entirely accidental and beyond his immediate knowledge.

How he realized though was... her... Maya. Actually, it had come down to Zay, calling him out on it, but it was Maya who'd been on the receiving end of his unintentional banter.

On the one hand, he had thought... 'well, why not?' He could try and say he hadn't noticed her, hadn't thought of her in some realm beyond friendship, but he would be lying, to himself most of all. He just hadn't thought he'd telegraphed it so openly that people had known.

Did she know? Was she okay with it? What if she wasn't? What if... what if she was?

What was he supposed to do about it? Did he want to do something about it? He was thinking about all of this... a lot more than he thought he would... It was Maya, his friend, his great, caring, energetic, protective... beautiful, wonderful, funny... friend... And he had flirted, and she... well, so had she, right? So maybe it wasn't so crazy of a thought.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	247. Day 247 Sep 3rd - Look

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN**  
 **SEPTEMBER 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Look" _[one day]_

She was sure the music was good and engaging, and somewhere in the back of her mind she could still catch the beat, but the rest of it was blocked off, her mind too distracted, or perhaps attracted... She couldn't help but look sideways, to catch a sight of him, standing next to her and listening to the two girls singing on stage.

It felt like something was awakened in her, something which had pretended to be asleep for so long, until now, when it had cracked open its eyes and taken in what it had refused to see before. And now that it had taken one look it couldn't stop, much as she tried, much as she reminded herself of why they hadn't been looking.

Now her mind was shouting at her, as though to say 'What are you doing, Hart, do you not see him? Do you not know who this is? Look at him! Look. At. Him.'

And she would, as ridiculously shy as one had any right to be. And her heart would give a flutter, and she would look away, or try to, before he might catch her looking. This was getting out of hand, out of control, and she did not know how to fix it. Her heart and her mind were at odds, all because she had opened her eyes.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	248. Day 248 Sep 4th - Shield

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT**  
 **SEPTEMBER 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Shield" _[one day]_

He had a way about him, if anything, too big, too risky, would get close to his friends, he would put himself in between like... like a shield. Everything would bounce off of him rather than to get anywhere nearer to any of them.

The first time she'd been the one in need of shielding and he had emerged in front of her, she remembered thinking... he was so very tall, incredibly tall, like whatever was there on the other side of him had ceased to exist, couldn't be seen anymore. And silly as it could sound she did feel a little safer.

Even if she could handle herself on her own, even if she didn't really need any of it, he was there, and she could breathe for a moment.

Maybe that was the real power of it, him standing there. He knew where she stood, he always did. That was one of the things she liked most about him, but still there were times when he would just try so much, and it would feel like now she was the one who had to stand in front of him. Her, all five feet of her... Not much of a shield compared to him, but she would do it gladly, and she would show she was just as strong in her own rights, and her own heart.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	249. Day 249 Sep 5th - Truth

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Truth" _[one day]_

Whoever had said that truth would set her free, it was a good thing they were likely long dead and buried, or else she would have had to give them a strong piece of her mind. Set free...

Ever since she'd told Lucas that she liked him, that was the last thing she felt. Awkward and exposed, yes, but free? No.

So a part of her was glad not to have to hold it in anymore, except now it wasn't just out, it was everywhere, like a burst bottle of something sticky. It would get into every last space of her life, and no matter what she did it wouldn't go away, not completely, it couldn't. The bottle had burst. Truth spewage... and she was covered in it.

She might have seen it as more of a releasing sort of spirit, the way the saying seemed to inspire, except... well, her situation wasn't exactly in line with that, was it? It had never been, and she knew it.

Still... Still...

A part of her still wanted to hope, as dangerous as that could be to someone like her. Maybe the freedom would come, later... time release truth, time release freedom. She would hold on, she would wait. She had to. What other choice did she have anymore?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	250. Day 250 Sep 6th - View 1

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY**  
 **SEPTEMBER 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "View" _[two days]_  
 _part 1 of 2_

Maya had always hoped to end up here someday, to get to see this view with her own eyes and not just in pictures and videos. So to find herself here, in Paris... she was absolutely mesmerized.

So to say she had gotten to see it now because they had chosen it for their honeymoon... it made the entire trip twice as memorable to her.

Lucas had known it would, and when he'd put the idea out there for her, made it something possible, something real... They could have done the whole tropical thing, but instead they were here, and they would travel even further, while they were in Europe, and she was so close to putting in for a permanent relocation, because everything was wonderful.

But as great as all the places were, all the art... none of it came close to being through it all with him. Her new husband. That this was real, that they were now married, that was the biggest thing, bigger than Paris, bigger than this whole trip. If being here was how they were going to start their life together, then she was ready for all of it. He'd be by her side, just as he was now, while she went about like a kid in a candy store, all saucer eyed and a little slack jawed, and he came along, with a smile of complete adoration.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	251. Day 251 Sep 7th - View 2

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "View" _[two days]_  
 _part 2 of 2_

He had been enjoying the city and all it had to offer. But none of them could ever hope to surpass what he saw when he looked at her. If he hadn't known how much he loved her on the day they'd been married, then seeing Maya Hart in Paris would have reminded him.

She'd been enchanted from the moment they'd started preparing to leave for the airport. He saw how happy she was, to be there, and to be there with him, and it would have him smiling right down to his heart.

Their first morning waking up at the hotel, he'd found her sitting at the window, looking out in this peaceful little place, and he had refused himself to disturb her, and instead he had watched her, watching the city. In time she had looked back and seen him there, and with a smirk she had tapped at the ground next to where she sat.

He came to join her, and when she leaned to rest her head on his shoulder, he'd taken her hand in his, and they'd looked out at the city together. He knew the trip wouldn't be like this all throughout, but they would enjoy this quiet moment together, their first morning as honeymooners, husband and wife enjoying the view of Paris in the morning.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	252. Day 252 Sep 8th - Pretend

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-TWO**  
 **SEPTEMBER 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Pretend" _[one day]_  
 _(following day 208 "Play" (July 26th))_

She had stayed up late to memorize her lines before they got together to practice. There was just no way she would show up there and look like a deer in headlights; she was going to nail this.

It was only once she'd read through the play that she'd realized what Lucas had called their having a 'bunch of scenes' together was due to the fact that their characters were a couple. So now she had to add 'acting in love with Lucas' to the things she'd have to do on a stage in front of people.

She had nearly gone and tried to quit - again - when she'd realized it, but then she'd thought about what would happen if she did quit. People would want to know why she'd done it, and much as she thought she could put in a convincing lie, it would only start people talking, much worse than what they might say if they saw her following a script that had been handed to her. It wasn't as though she'd gone in on this with fake-romancing Lucas as her purpose, had she?

So she couldn't quit. She was going to do this, and she was going to do it so well they wouldn't be able to say a single thing about it except that she'd been great. Still, when Lucas showed up for their rehearsal, she had the smallest moment's unease. What would it do to her to see him pretending, too?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	253. Day 253 Sep 9th - Hold

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hold" _[one day]_

He had seen her first that morning, and much as he could see her hesitation to share in the beginning, he could see there was something bothering her, something she needed to share, and finally she had.

Her grandmother was in the hospital, and they didn't know if she'd come out of it.

Instantly and on instinct he had reached out and put his arms around her, and he had felt her breath release, locking her own arms around him in return. She stayed quiet, and he didn't force her to break that silence.

He had met Maya's grandmother a few times now, and she was always nice to him. More than that though, he had seen how she and Maya were together, and he knew the thought of losing her would be weighing heavily on his friend. He was going to stay this way, holding her, for as long as she needed him to.

There was no question of what was or wasn't right, what this hold would or wouldn't mean for the future. This was one friend lending comfort to another friend who needed it. He could feel everything she couldn't say, how scared she was, how she was trying so hard to think positive but didn't know how to. He hoped she could feel him right back, telling her he would be there for her if or when she needed him, no matter what.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	254. Day 254 Sep 10th - Crush

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR**  
 **SEPTEMBER 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Crush" _[one day]_

They were friends. That was all they'd ever been. Even with the nicknames and the whole little game, underneath it all was a growing bond. Nothing more. Except...

Except sometimes he would look at her and wouldn't know how to keep from smiling. Except sometimes she would see him and it would knock the breath right from her lungs.

Except when he was looking at her his hands would fidget. Except he would get such a rise out of her, in the best possible way.

But then neither of them had any clue what to do about any of it. What could they do, really? If the Riley of it all wasn't enough, they were barely sufficiently self-aware of how they felt, let alone the possibility that these feelings would be reciprocated.

So what could they do? What it came off like, essentially, was not to do anything different. They were friends, and they would keep on being friends, even though there was this thing, this unspoken thing between them that only seemed to grow larger and less avoidable by the day. Soon they would have to say something, hoping but not knowing just how this would end. For now, it could only be what it was, spoken or not.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	255. Day 255 Sep 11th - Fidget

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Fidget" _[one day]_

She'd never have noticed it if she had not overheard Zay and Lucas talking one day. The boys had been sitting at Topanga's, and maybe they didn't realize she'd been there, in the storage room on the hunt for sugar packets as requested by her mother.

She came back out, drawn in by the sound of Zay's laughter. He was telling Lucas how he kept his hands busy, coupled in some activity, and how he kept on doing it, whenever 'she' was talking, and to be honest, Maya had been thinking he was referring to someone else, until Zay had referred to this speaker's fortunate position in front of him having prevented her noticing. Lucas had tried to brush it off, and whatever had been said next, she couldn't say. She'd retreated back into the storage room, not wanting them to see her.

What was that even about, what was it supposed to mean? She knew what Zay's opinion was, his tone had made it clear, and then Lucas... Now it was going to distract her, whenever they were sitting in class, with her facing forward, knowing he was behind her, his hands doing whatever they did, supposedly because of her being there...

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	256. Day 256 Sep 12th - Connect

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SIX**  
 **SEPTEMBER 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Connect" _[one day]_

By any means, as far as she'd figured in the beginning, this shouldn't have been happening, they... they shouldn't have been happening. It just didn't make sense. She was who she was, and he was... Hee Haw.

But the more she'd gotten to know him, and he'd gotten to know her, something had changed. All of a sudden, one day, she had found herself thinking 'I wonder what he would have to say about this,' as though she knew, in all confidence, that if she told him what was on her mind, he would understand.

It wasn't to say she couldn't expect that of her other friends, but there were just some things she was getting to know that Lucas would understand so much more than any other. It was something that had grown out of stories shared, pasts, friendship... a bond, a connection, one that stood on its own, one that had silence as its language because words weren't needed.

As much as she knew all this, it still felt like it shouldn't have been the way things were, like her getting to have all this. With a golden boy like Lucas Friar, that... that felt like the world was just priming to pull the rug out from beneath her feet.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	257. Day 257 Sep 13th - Food

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN**  
 **SEPTEMBER 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Food" _[one day]_

He had been banished from the kitchen all day. If he so much as took a step in that direction it was like she knew and he was made to turn and go. It was their second day of living together, and Maya had somehow decided it meant she should make dinner.

Now it wasn't to say he himself was some great cook, but he got by. To his knowledge, his one memory of Maya preparing food that he was aware of involved mashed potatoes that had made the entire school sick. He still got chills remembering the aftermath.

That was years ago, he'd tell himself, in a voice that sounded just a bit afraid. It mostly worried him to think what she could have been making that took so long. Actually, no, what worried him the most was wondering what he'd do when he'd have to eat it. What if it was terrible? Would he have to lie? Worse, would it be the terrible sequel to the mash incident?

She must have seen that fear in his eyes when she finally emerged, but it was only brief, because he could tell how nervous she was, how much she wanted him to like it. And the plate she put in front of him looked normal... kind of smelled good, too. He took the first bite, and he relaxed. They were neither of them great, but they got by.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	258. Day 258 Sep 14th - Oblivious

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-EIGHT**  
 **SEPTEMBER 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Oblivious" _[one day]_

For the longest time, she'd gone on in the belief that he didn't see her. Oh, they were friends, and she wasn't saying otherwise. But whatever she was in his eyes it wasn't this, not as far as she knew.

For all she had seen, she was only Maya to him, his friend/partner in game, and that was all she would ever be. And then all of a sudden she had gone and been blindsided with this revelation. He did see her, he saw her just fine, so much so that one could say he was just on this side of fixed in his gaze.

Much as the thought of it had caught her off guard and a little exposed, it had felt for a moment like a weight lifted off her shoulder, like her head had cleared and she could breathe again.

So she now knew she'd had it wrong. What was she meant to do with that? The strangest part so far, and there had definitely been a few, was to see in one instant that he might have been going on in the same belief she had done.

Of course she'd seen him, of course he had been on her mind. Some days it felt like he was the only thing she could be aware of. It was the scariest thing, and maybe a little wonderful, too.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	259. Day 259 Sep 15th - Watch

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Watch" _[one day]_

He could spend hours watching her with the kids. There was just something in the way she was with them. Sure, they were their daughters, their son, and it would only be natural, but there was more to it, to how they responded to her, not just their own, but the others' too.

She cared so much, about their happiness, about their excitement, about their well-being in every sense of the word. He would watch her, and he would want nothing more than to be a part of it all. Nothing could ever beat when it would be their little ones, seeing the love she poured out to them, like nothing mattered more than for them to know that they were loved and would always remain that way, with him and her to look after them.

He watched her and he saw the young girl he'd known in middle school, the girl who got so much of this, whether she saw it or not, from her own mother, and now passed it on tenfold to Emily, and Lizzy, and little Thomas... When he saw them all in his mind it was just like this, the three of them all crowded around her like she was the sun in the sky and even the moon and the stars, too.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	260. Day 260 Sep 16th - Pull

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY**  
 **SEPTEMBER 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Pull" _[one day]_

He had been feeling it grow stronger, from day to day, from a size so small that he couldn't feel it, until now, where it felt as undeniable as... well, her. He was drawn to her. Maybe it was that they'd been younger before and he couldn't even understand it, but now... Now he was so aware of her presence, as aware as he was of her absence.

When she wasn't around, he would sometimes find himself thinking of her, wishing she was there with him. And when she was around, oh, he never wanted her to be anywhere else.

Could the pull to one person really be so strong? She was Maya, his close friend, but then sometimes he wanted her to be more, and more importantly he was aware of it. He didn't know how to express it, but he was aware of it. And every day, the pull got stronger again, just as it had been doing before, pulling, and pulling... but he wasn't getting any closer, was he?

That was the hardest part of it now, feeling like something existed to hold him back. Whatever the two of them were meant to be or become, they were not there yet, and the road felt long and twisted. But he had that pull, and he knew... it would always lead him to her.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	261. Day 261 Sep 17th - Pappy 1

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Pappy" _[three days]_  
 _part 1 of 3 (tie to "Horse, day 107 (April 16th))_

He'd taken Lucas and his friends to the stables, where they'd quickly dispersed, finding a horse and taking it out and about. The one remaining was the little blonde, who looked to have made friends with one.

"He's called Butternut," he told her.

"Butternut," she repeated with a smile to the animal who reacted to his name, making her laugh. "Hey."

"Ever ride one before?" he asked her.

"You wouldn't think so, but I have. Don't tell Lucas, okay? It's a surprise," she explained, turning a conspiratorial look to him that had him roaring.

"You've got yourself a deal, Maya."

How many things he'd heard about the girl through his grandson, he felt like he knew her, like she was his very own granddaughter, too. It made her happy, being here, he could see it in her eyes, and that just made him happy right back.

"Tell you what, I bet you could leave that grandson of mine in the dust if you raced him," he suggested, and the conspiracy was reborn as she turned to him, and he laughed again.

"It's because I'm short, isn't it?"

"Hey, now, work with what you were given."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	262. Day 262 Sep 18th - Pappy 2

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO**  
 **SEPTEMBER 18TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Pappy" _[three days]_  
 _part 2 of 3 (tie to "Horse, day 107 (April 16th))_

The race had ended, leaving him to find his grandson had literally been 'left in the dust.' It was impossible not to laugh, watching him standing there, still just a bit stunned, slapping dirt off his clothes. When he looked up, he looked like the boy he used to bounce on his knee once upon a time.

Today he'd watched him bounce, too, right off his horse, to congratulate the one who'd beat him, with grace and pride.

"You know, Lucas, the way you talk about that girl sometimes, reminds me of a lot of things, and I have to wonder. Do you even know what's happening between the two of you?" he asked, smiling.

"Between... me and Maya?" Lucas asked, scratching at his ear as though his grandfather had not heard the crack in his voice when he'd said her name. With a great laugh, he patted his grandson's shoulder, dislodging a great cloud of dust as he did so.

"Lucas Friar, you listen to me now. You need to ask yourself if you want to spend the rest of your life racing after that little girl, or if you might want to try and catch up to her one day. I hope you'll know what you need to do when the time comes, and I'll be right there to see it."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	263. Day 263 Sep 19th - Pappy 3

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-THREE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Pappy" _[three days]_  
 _part 3 of 3 (tie to "Horse, day 107 (April 16th))_

He loved his grandson very much, and the day he had left Texas that first time had been one of the saddest days of his life.

But he saw him here now, with his friends, saw him with the girl. He saw the way he was around her, and he saw how she was around him, too, and for that he could feel something of that old sadness leave him.

They could say that there were plenty of girls in Austin, that he could be here and be happy with one of them, and it might even have been true. But he was of a mind that some people out there had it in them to give you more than just happiness. He himself had been lucky enough to find his right down the road. If his little Lucas had to go all the way to New York City to find his, then who was he to argue? The best thing he could do now was to make sure he didn't screw up his shot, because then he really would have failed his grandson.

He watched as she animatedly recounted the race, and he watched him watch her, and he smiled quietly to himself. In a couple of days they would be bound for New York once more, and he wondered what tales his Lucas would share with him next.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	264. Day 264 Sep 20th - Contact

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR**  
 **SEPTEMBER 20TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Contact" _[one day]_

Most of the time they didn't even see they were doing it. They would reach to one another, tapping an arm, or stopping it altogether, touching a shoulder, lifting a head, lifting the entire person if they were a five-foot-tall rage machine headed into trouble... and there was the shirt grabbing, which was said rage machine's choice move.

They didn't question it, or feel as though they would even need to. It was just something that happened, and it didn't feel weird, or wrong...

Not even their growing awareness of one another, the affection they held, none of it was able to turn their habit for close contact into anything they felt in any way uneasy about. It felt as though they understood it sometimes, and it became something like an unspoken agreement. Whatever the situation with them, they were friends, first and foremost, and they weren't ever going to forget or change that.

It would have felt unnatural for them to be any other way, like they saw it as something wrong, and then what would happen? They would stand apart? That just wasn't them. They had that comfort, that connection with each other, and that was all a part of it, and they wouldn't change it.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	265. Day 265 Sep 21st - Subtlety

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Subtlety" _[one day]_

They would remember those initial days and weeks after they'd started going out together as being complicated for any number of reasons. Chief among them would be trying to figure out how they might present themselves in public.

Those concerns, when shared with others, had been met with laughter. According to those "trusted allies," the two of them didn't have to behave all that different than how they'd been, seeing as even then they had been going around in such a way that people already thought they were a couple. It was to the point where their announcing this pairing up had been met with as little surprise as they'd ever seen.

Instead, the looks on their faces seemed to say 'well it's about time.' Had they been so obvious about it? They sure hadn't seen it that way, for how long it had taken them to get to where they were now.

In the end, they had to figure maybe they were all on to something. Maybe it didn't have to be so hard. They'd had a good thing going, or they wouldn't have gotten together, right? That was all they needed to know.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	266. Day 266 Sep 22nd - Holiday

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX**  
 **SEPTEMBER 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Holiday" _[one day]_

They had always been fair in their amount of enjoyment toward any given holiday. But from the moment the kids had started coming into the picture, it had all become a new game.

Halloween was Maya's territory, and they would have the most elaborate displays, as orchestrated by her. The funniest memory they'd have would be that, while little Emily had always been terrified by the costumes and all, even as a baby, Lizzie would look at her 'terrifying' mother and laugh.

Then Christmas, now this was all Lucas, and the traditions would begin even as their firstborn was still on the way. He would turn into what Maya would affectionately refer to as Huckleberry Claus. But in his case, same as hers, the motivation was always plain and simple.

They had made this family, them and the kids. And it was so important to them that the memories they created together be something they could hold on to, for all of their lives. They would remember Lizzie's unflappable Halloween ease, and they would remember making ornaments every year around the table. They would remember the love they all gave one another, and the love they received in return.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	267. Day 267 Sep 23rd - Impress

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN**  
 **SEPTEMBER 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Impress" _[one day]_

He had discovered in time how it would destabilize her to see him display any kind of physical strength, and it would be amusing to see, but then it was very little in the long run. The things he'd hold on to, the ones he'd remember and know had caused an impression on her, now those would come in different ways.

It wouldn't be on the heel of a glazed over stare and trembling voice. There would be something in her eyes, like he had managed to break through something in her head, and she almost couldn't believe it.

When it would make her smile, now that... that was always the best he could ask for, because even that smile would be different, and he would recognize it anywhere. That smile belonged to him and him alone. That smile meant he had gotten through to her, that she was thinking of him, really thinking of only him, for that one moment, and he liked knowing it.

He couldn't even count the amount of times he had been thinking only of her, the amount of times she had impressed him. But if she did, then he just might get another of her smiles.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	268. Day 268 Sep 24th - Midnight

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-EIGHT**  
 **SEPTEMBER 24TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Midnight" _[one day]_

Every year that ended, every year that began, they would end and start for the two of them standing side by side as the seconds counted down to zero, as the people around the city would ring in and cheer.

For Maya, for Lucas, it always seemed to take them back to one moment, their last year of middle school. But since that day, they had any number of new memories together.

In those last seconds of the year, it would be as though the previous twelve months would roll back through their minds. Not all of them would have been good, or happy, but on a whole they could gladly say that a majority of them had been, and those were the ones they would remember, the ones they would see flashing through one another's eyes.

In time, those moments would be spent with little children huddled sleeping in their arms, and those would be a special kind of memory all on its own. But for however long this went on, they could be certain that at one time or another their mind's eye would take them back to a girl and boy standing on a rooftop, looking at each other, with the confusion of their situation heavy in their eyes.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	269. Day 269 Sep 25th - Panic

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Panic" _[one day]_

He didn't know how he'd gotten there, but he'd been having a dream, sleeping on the train back from Texas. He'd been thinking about Maya, and how deeply she'd been scared about him riding the bull, getting so taken with what he'd come to call panic that she'd claimed she'd never speak to him again and she'd gone away.

And in his dream, it was as though the whole world had turned on its head. Suddenly it was her, marching off to meet Tombstone, and the dream never reached its terrifying conclusion because the thought alone jolted him awake, his legs jerking out and hitting the underside of the small table in front of him.

The others were asleep, too, hadn't been woken, or...

"You're awake," he looked back at Maya, whose eyes were open. "I just..."

"Bad dream, Huckleberry?" she asked.

"No, I just... I mean I..." He couldn't tell her, could he? What would she think?

"Because you said my name..."

"I... I did?" he asked, and she nodded. "Oh... Well I don't really... I don't remember what it was about, I... I'm sorry I woke you." She shrugged like it didn't matter. "I'm glad you're still talking to me, Maya."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	270. Day 270 Sep 26th - Open

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY**  
 **SEPTEMBER 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Open" _[one day]_

He could always talk to her, just as she could always talk to him. It was something he always wanted her to know, no matter what. If she needed to talk, she could turn to him, always.

The thing about a bond like that was that it had to be taken seriously, and he did do that. It couldn't be that one day she'd need him and he wouldn't listen. He knew that, as much as he knew that it had to go both ways, which it did. Maya was always there if he needed her on that level, and he was thankful for it as she was for the reverse, he knew.

It wasn't an easy thing to open up to someone, especially being who they were, especially for the things they needed to open up about. But they did, and they were, and on that knowledge alone they were given the breath of a different life, a better life, one where they didn't have to hold on to everything so close, where they could release their arms just enough to take in the air that they needed to stand on their feet.

That was what they were able to grant one another, and it was a thing precious enough to be at once so worth protecting and so frightening to think they could ever lose for any reason at all.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	271. Day 271 Sep 27th - Yell

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-ONE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Yell" _[one day]_

Never would anyone refer to Maya Hart as quiet. Still, he had come to discover there could be times when he'd wish he could say that, like when she would yell things across a crowded room that made him turn red at the ears.

She didn't see it as a problem, and if anything, once she'd seen the way it affected him, he was almost sure she'd started doing it on purpose. He had been made to discover that, and the fact that he could be much more shy than he had once believed.

He knew where it would come from, the things she said, so much as a part of him did want her to tone it down, another much bigger part had other ideas on the matter, and he knew that it was this part that would will a smile on to his face while the other part, the shy one, made tomatoes of his ears.

Sometimes he'd imagine the look on her face, if he ever came around and did the same thing to her, but he knew it would never happen, that he'd never get up the nerve to do it. In this, like in many more other things, Maya Hart was as fearless as a beast.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	272. Day 272 Sep 28th - Costume

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWO**  
 **SEPTEMBER 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Costume" _[one day]_

Halloween was still a month away, but already her mind was going, trying to decide what she would be on that year. She knew it wouldn't only be up to her, that she and her friends would often follow a theme, but she wanted to get in on deciding what this theme would be.

She'd started to look at Lucas for inspiration, as though this was little more than an opportunity for her to see him in a silly costume. They could go in any one of so many directions on this.

Would it be funny or really intricate, direct or not... She could close her eyes and conjure him up in any image she wanted to, and after a while she had to remember again that it wasn't just about him, like it wasn't just about her. It would have been so easy to conjure them up as a pair though.

Those costumes, those images, they came just as quick, but the furthest they would go would be in a sketchbook. The day might have been about stepping out of your skin, becoming something you weren't, but... what if it was something you wanted to be? Could you really offer it up as pretend and not feel as though it was all it would ever be?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	273. Day 273 Sep 29th - Date

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-THREE**  
 **SEPTEMBER 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Date" _[one day]_

In time, they would get a chance to make up for that sad excuse for a date that had ended in her pouring smoothies over his head and him having to wash it out for what felt like forever.

They would find the balance they had missed, remove the weight of expectations, and nerves... And underneath all that that, they would find they could actually do well.

Maya would remember all her life coming home from their first truly good date and being so overjoyed and full of energy that she couldn't go to sleep and ending up curled around her sketchbook half the night.

And Lucas would remember that same night for making him feel like finally he knew exactly where he had been meant to be all this time and discovering how relieved he was for it.

From that point on, they would stop putting so much pressure on these outings, knowing it was still possible for them to flop, but that if they did it would not necessarily be their fault. They might actually laugh it off in the end. The thing that would matter more was how they got on when the date was done.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	274. Day 274 Sep 30th - Campfire 1

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOUR**  
 **SEPTEMBER 30TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Campfire" _[five days]_  
 _part 1 of 5 follow up to "Texas" (d.217-223, August 4th-10th)_  
 _(Alternate Universe)_

The morning came, and as they all came together and sat to breakfast, there was an unmistakable quality in the air that seemed to emanate from the two of them, something a little nervous, a little... a little lot awkward, but all in all so very bright.

They tried to play it cool, but much as they tried, neither one of them could look at the other without remembering it all. The night before, the campfire, the kiss... and without fail this circuit of memory would push a smile on to their faces.

But they were not alone here and now, and in present company the memory also came hand in hand with a desire to keep it all not nearly as visible as this. The question of how they would proceed, the rest of the day, of the trip, and of all that would come after, this remained up in the air, and surely they would have to think of something, but for the time being... They tried not to look, as though it would fix it.

But as determined as they tried to be, they would then take that small peek, just to see if the other was doing the same, or so they would claim, and then they would be right back at the beginning. They were hopeless, the pair of them.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	275. Day 275 Oct 1st - Campfire 2

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE**  
 **OCTOBER 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Campfire" _[five days]_  
 _part 2 of 5 follow up to "Texas" (d.217-223, August 4th-10th)_  
 _(Alternate Universe)_

They would soon set off on their way back to New York, and so they had gotten off to packing their bags before his grandfather took them to the train station.

Only after a while he came to realize one of them was missing. He hadn't seen Maya for a while, and when he asked the others, none of them seemed to know any better. It wasn't as though he was worried, but after all that had happened that night, him and her...

At once, he'd stopped wondering where she was, because he knew exactly where to find her. He told the others he would be right back and he left the house.

There was no fire burning at the end of the path, not even smoke in the air, but there was the spot where they'd both sat, and exactly where she'd been sitting in that moment, he now found her again, seeming to be so lost in thought that she never heard him or saw him as he first stood there and then approached to come and sit with her.

Now she did see him, and she startled, looking back at him with some hesitation. He just looked back at her, and after a beat she relaxed again, staring at the point where the fire had burned. Under a morning sky, it had a whole other kind of magic.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	276. Day 276 Oct 2nd - Campfire 3

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SIX**  
 **OCTOBER 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Campfire" _[five days]_  
 _part 3 of 5 follow up to "Texas" (d.217-223, August 4th-10th)_  
 _(Alternate Universe)_

She didn't know what to do or say. For how much she felt like things didn't have to change, she knew they had, and they had to... wanted them to. But how was she supposed to know how to start?

"I've always liked it here," he told her. "I used to sit here when I was little." She chuckled despite herself. "I did, I swear."

"Having trouble imagining you little," she teased, allowing herself to look at him, and when she met his eye, she felt a jolt. "I just wanted to come back out here while I could," she came to admit, and he kept on looking at her.

She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he looked at peace, the way she felt, the moment she'd come and sat here. He was still looking, and she figured he wondered why she was here, had to know something had brought her. She'd been packing, lazily, just a bit, but then she'd stopped, and she'd gone to the fire.

"Lucas, I'll be fine, I just... can't explain it," she looked away, as though the flames still roared.

"Explain what?" he asked, in that calm voice he had, and she shrugged.

"I'm not ready, okay? Can't we stay here a while? Why do we have to go back?"

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	277. Day 277 Oct 3rd - Campfire 4

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SEVEN**  
 **OCTOBER 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Campfire" _[five days]_  
 _part 4 of 5 follow up to "Texas" (d.217-223, August 4th-10th)_  
 _(Alternate Universe)_

He could feel something coming off of her now, like fear, and maybe for all that had happened the night before, more than to say a word, or put a hand to her shoulder, he slowly reached out, found and clasped one of her hands in one of his.

He looked at her, unsure how the gesture would be received, but the look he found staring back at him was only momentarily formed from surprise and quickly melted into release, as though she knew she could confide this.

"Everything, last night, today, I keep thinking like maybe I made it all up. And when we leave this place, I'm going to wake up, and nothing will have changed. We... we won't have..."

"But it did," he promised her, and she turned to him with a smile that was at once hope and sadness, such fear...

"So long as we're here then we won't lose it, right? Then what am I doing, packing to leave?" she looked at their hands, joined and resting on her knee.

She wanted to hold on to their moment, he could see, and he understood. Nothing could have made more sense.

"Maya," he spoke after a moment, seeing in her eyes how careful he had to be with his next words.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	278. Day 278 Oct 4th - Campfire 5

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHT**  
 **OCTOBER 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Campfire" _[five days]_  
 _part 5 of 5 follow up to "Texas" (d.217-223, August 4th-10th)_  
 _(Alternate Universe)_

She looked like she'd cut and run the moment it all fell apart, and if he hadn't been holding her hand she might have done it.

"We're taking it with us, okay?" he told her, looking at the extinguished spot where the fire had roared. Looking back at her, she looked like she was picturing him putting rocks and pieces of burnt wood in his suitcase, and he laughed, frowning. "I'm not going to forget it," he explained. "I don't want to. I want to remember it forever. You?" He could see the worry seep away, and then she nodded. "I told you all of that last night, and I meant it. And it won't matter if I'm in Austin or New York, I'm still going to want you and me to... be 'you and me.' Okay?" he asked, giving her hand a little tug.

She held fast, and meeting her eye now, he could have imagined the campfire had reignited. In a moment he was leaning to her and she to him, and in the light of day they shared a new kiss, like a promise. This was the beginning, and in New York they would find their continuation, but they would never leave their start here where it had happened. Lucas was right. They were taking the campfire, and Texas, taking it all home with them.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	279. Day 279 Oct 5th - Anger

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-NINE**  
 **OCTOBER 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Anger" _[one day]_

She didn't want to blow up, didn't want to turn into that other person over this. But she was upset, she was so on fire, and she knew it was only a matter of time before she turned everything around her to ashes.

And if she hadn't had him, she just might have.

But she didn't want the flame, and in a moment of clarity she had known Lucas could help her back down. She had gone and found him, and as she'd told him everything he had been there, listening. She could see in his eyes... He understood, he knew, and what others might have needed so many more words to grasp, she knew he already had figured out.

That alone had done half the job, and in very little more talk between the two of them, she let out a breath and the anger slipped by in pursuit. She looked back at him, and now his eyes were asking only one thing: was she okay?

She only gave a nod, and when he smiled, it felt as though the moment had passed, and she was herself again, telling her Huckleberry she would see him in class, and he told her the same. Still, as she continued on down the hall, she could feel him watching.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	280. Day 280 Oct 6th - Cafeteria

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY**  
 **OCTOBER 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Cafeteria" _[one day]_

Day to day, sitting together as they ate their lunch, it was impossible for them not to pick up some details on one another's habits. They knew what the other loved, and what would remain untouched on their trays.

Given enough time, this had translated into something like a dance, trading unwanted items for wanted ones. If a day came where they knew a favorite of the other's was on the menu, they would see to it that they got extras.

It was something that came naturally, so much so that they were not aware of what they were doing. Sitting in the cafeteria, away from class, where they had to be quiet and focused, they were here as anything but. She would be laughing, talking animatedly, and he would be listening, the trades from tray to tray happening without prompt.

By the time the lunch period ended, the school day beckoning them back, they would still be energized from their time around the table, and the afternoon didn't feel so bad as it might have done otherwise. It wasn't the same, but it was something, and they looked forward to it.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	281. Day 281 Oct 7th - Flaws 1

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-ONE**  
 **OCTOBER 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Flaws" _[seven days]_  
 _part 1 of 7_

It was always easy to know when something big happened around the school. There was no hiding from it, it just got around, high and low. And on this day, even before they knew what that thing was, they were allowed to understand it would be something to do with him.

Everyone was turning to look as Lucas Friar walked by. They pointed, they whispered, they stepped back, they laughed... In time, they found out what was happening, as Mr. Matthews asked him if he knew anything about a video that was going around, of him, back in Texas, before he'd ever come to New York.

Maya, she'd seen his face, in that exact moment when he'd realized what it was the school would have seen, that one version of him he had sworn to leave behind. And the look on his face, it felt to Maya just as it must have to him, like a punch to the gut. He was trying to play it off like he wasn't so deeply affected, but she didn't believe it at all.

She looked at him and she saw her friend's worst nightmare had come to pass. He excused himself, and she watched him go, past his onlookers.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	282. Day 282 Oct 8th - Flaws 2

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-TWO**  
 **OCTOBER 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Flaws" _[seven days]_  
 _part 2 of 7_

All day, she couldn't stop thinking about it. Many people would accuse her of not paying attention in class when she actually did, but today she truly had no memory of hearing a single word out of her teachers.

Most times Lucas would be sitting behind her in class, so she couldn't see him, but even then it was as though she could feel him, how he wasn't having much more success in keeping focused, for his own reasons.

It made her so upset, and more and more with each hour. She was angry, to think someone would do this to him, with little to no regard as to what it would mean for him, to pull the scab off a cut that should have been long healed. It felt brutal and invasive. But at the heart of it, she was just upset, and hurt. It wasn't her pain to bear, but she couldn't help but feel it was in her to shoulder some of the burden.

By the end of the day, after having let it stew in her mind so long, it brought her to a decision. Lucas was someone who mattered deeply to her, and if she sat back and did nothing about this, she would feel like a bad friend. So that was that. She had to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	283. Day 283 Oct 9th - Flaws 3

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-THREE**  
 **OCTOBER 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Flaws" _[seven days]_  
 _part 3 of 7_

She didn't see herself becoming some great detective someday, but she had skills enough that tracking down the person who had first unleashed Lucas' video on to the school wouldn't be too difficult, and by lunch the next day, she'd found the boy.

She confronted him, and he was so busy bragging about how he'd looked at Lucas' phone in the locker room and found the video that he could not see the rising fury in her eyes, until he turned to look at her barely a second before she leapt on him.

She didn't know what had come over her, but the more he'd talk, the more she felt her restraint fade away, and finally she just... snapped. As far as she was concerned, he deserved it.

The coach, the principal... they were of a different mind, and the next thing she knew, she was being led off to the principal's office, her anger leaving in small waves, slowly replaced by realization of what she'd done. Now she was the one people were pointing at and whispering about, and as much as she should have been thinking about her own troubles, all she could think was at least they weren't talking about him anymore.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	284. Day 284 Oct 10th - Flaws 4

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FOUR**  
 **OCTOBER 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Flaws" _[seven days]_  
 _part 4 of 7_

It wasn't long that word spread across the school and reached them. Maya was in the principal's office, she'd done something. The others wanted to go to her, too, but he asked them not to, asked them to let him go on his own first.

He knew, without understanding how. He knew this had to do with him, with his... situation. He should have seen this coming, shouldn't he? He'd just been so preoccupied, so caught up in all that had been happening, and he wasn't blaming himself, but he did feel like he should have been keeping an eye on her, should have made sure she didn't do...

When he reached the office, he saw her sitting there, holding an ice pack over her other hand, eyes unseeable.

"Maya?" he came right up and sat next to her, hoping he wouldn't be made to leave.

"I'm okay, Huckleberry," she told him, though he could hear it in her voice, like she only used the nickname to back up her statement.

"What happened, what did you..." She turned to him and he stopped. "Are you okay?"

"Hand hurts," she shrugged. "They're calling my mother, sending me home for the day, that's all. You don't have to stay here."

"Maya," he tried again, and she sighed.

"I found him. The one who put out the..."

"I don't care about that, about him. I care about you."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	285. Day 285 Oct 11th - Flaws 5

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE**  
 **OCTOBER 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Flaws" _[seven days]_  
 _part 5 of 7_

She'd thought he would be upset with her, ashamed of her. She kind of was, truth be told. Once she'd calmed down, once the pain started to be felt in her hand and she knew the principal would be calling her mother... Suddenly the spell was broken and she was left with the results. And in her mind, his shame was all she had to look forward to. But she got none of that, and she felt like a balloon, the air slowly leaving.

"I didn't want him to get away with it, thinking he could just do that to you, okay? Maybe you don't care about that, but I do. It's not right that they would think you're still that guy like in the video, when I know you're not, I know you're so much better than that. That's the guy they should know, okay?"

She let out a breath, then as seconds had passed and he had not said a word, she turned to look at him, and found him looking back at her in silence.

"What?" she asked, growing uneasy, which made him blink and look away for a moment. "I'm sorry, I..."

"No, it's okay," he told her right away.

"How can it be okay?" she frowned.

"Well, if it isn't now then it will be, eventually. It has to be."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	286. Day 286 Oct 12th - Flaws 6

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SIX**  
 **OCTOBER 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Flaws" _[seven days]_  
 _part 6 of 7_

He understood why she'd done it, he always would. But now he saw her, sitting here, with a hand he could see marked by the fight whenever she repositioned the ice pack. He saw the concern over being sent home with her mother, and it took him right back.

"Maya, you shouldn't have done that. I mean I get it, and I appreciate it, I do. Ever since the video's come out I've felt like just going home, to not be seen, and that's not a feeling that's been easy to deal with. But knowing you would have gotten in trouble for it, that... that just makes it worse."

"That's not what I wanted," she promised.

"I know it wasn't. I hate that this is happening to you now, and there's nothing I can do to fix it." He wanted to though, so much.

"Can't fix everything, Lucas," she spoke.

"No, I know that," he nodded, looking back at her. "When your mother gets here, I want to talk to her." She opened her mouth to speak, but he continued. "It's like you said, it won't fix it all, but at least if she knows how it all happened, then it won't be so bad."

"That... that would be nice of you, Lucas, but I don't know if it'll be that simple. I handled things in a way... Well, as bad as things have been sometimes, this... this is up there with the worst."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	287. Day 287 Oct 13th - Flaws 7

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SEVEN**  
 **OCTOBER 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Flaws" _[seven days]_  
 _part 7 of 7_

He could see she still felt bad, and looking at her, he tried to find the right words to say. The video coming out had shattered his image here, and he'd been forced to deal with how it affected him, but her...

In trying to stand up for him, she had exposed her own low points, had brought the spotlight on to herself for it, and now there was no going back.

"Maya, can I tell you something? As bad as things got, all I'm going to hold on to is I have one of the best friends anyone could ever ask for. They're all going to forget all of this eventually. But I won't forget how you were there."

She smiled, just barely, though she tried to hide it, and he laughed quietly.

Soon they both looked up, hearing a voice out in the hall that told them Maya's mother was approaching. When she came, she was met with both Maya and Lucas' explanations of what had happened, not all at once but alternating. When they stopped, Katy Hart left with her daughter, and Lucas watched them go, hoping all would be sorted in the end.

Certainly, from now on, he would be more careful with his phone, but the true takeaway would be just as he'd told Maya. He would remember her support.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	288. Day 288 Oct 14th - Knowing

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-EIGHT**  
 **OCTOBER 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Knowing" _[one day]_

Ten minutes had gone by since they'd found out, since the test had shown positive and they had found out they were going to be parents. And it still felt like their ears had popped just a bit.

They were on their way home again, and she had not let go of his hand as they walked. Every so often they would look to one another, and all at once their small discovery would shine in their eyes and they would quietly laugh.

There was so little yet for them to show of this monumental change they'd just gone through, so maybe that was what made it so crazy a thought. The two of them, entrusted with another human being's life, a brand new one at that. They knew they'd grown up, that they weren't those kids they'd been when they'd first met, not anymore, not in the same way at least.

And they knew that, of course, they would be responsible enough, and careful, and loving... The one thing that would take time to kick in, for them to accept and allow all the rest to feel like they were just trying to reassure themselves, would be for them to have something substantial, to see, to feel, more than a stick they had somehow carried back with them in the shock. Well for now she had his hand, and he had hers, and that was good enough.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	289. Day 289 Oct 15th - Bold

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-NINE**  
 **OCTOBER 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Bold" _[one day]_

He had put aside things in his life in order to become the guy he was when he first moved to New York. Some had been surrendered gladly, while others had been put aside with fair amounts of regret. He just felt, in a way, as though he didn't know how to maintain those without tapping into the other side all over again. And then he'd met her.

It hadn't taken him long to understand she had some issues of her own, but just as quick he'd also come to find maybe he wasn't without possibilities. She showed him, however unintentionally, that he could connect again with those things he hadn't wanted to leave behind, that he could find the middle ground and carry on, unafraid to be just who he wanted to be. He wasn't sure if she knew how important that had been to him, and maybe one day he would tell her.

He was happier now than he had been in a long time, and there were a number of factors, of people, to thank for that, but deep down he knew that it was this small revelation, this invitation to live his life a certain way, that had jumpstarted it all. And she had been the spark.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	290. Day 290 Oct 16th - Line

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY**  
 **OCTOBER 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Line" _[one day]_  
 _(follow up to "Pretend", day 252, September 8th)_

Rehearsals always ran smooth... Mostly ran smooth. Then they'd get to one line, always the same, and it would all go to hell. He had practiced, learned it all by heart and never skipped a beat.

But the moment he was placed in front of her and he tried to say the words, it all disappeared and he was staring back at her, and she back at him, waiting. She knew what he was meant to say next, and after a few tries had failed, he knew she would have caught on to the repeated failures, known he had a problem saying those words, saying them to her.

He couldn't say he never wanted to see her again.

He knew it wasn't him saying it that to Maya, that it was his character saying it to hers, that it wasn't real, but then he'd tried to say it, looking at her, and something in him had been hit hard. Now he couldn't turn it around. He was going to make them all look bad, because the thought of losing her, even when there was no possibility on the table suggesting that he would, had corrupted the line in his mind.

The oddest thing was Maya didn't seem upset with him whenever he messed up. She just looked back at him like she felt the same way he did.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	291. Day 291 Oct 17th - Splash

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-ONE**  
 **OCTOBER 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Splash" _[one day]_

They had all volunteered to help make the decorations for the upcoming Halloween dance. Maya had been highly motivated to work on a banner and a few other little things, spooky signs and the likes, and she had been given Lucas as her assistant. They had one massive drop cloth surrounding them, which was just as well, when Lucas had gone and accidentally tripped Maya, who fell in the red paint with an audible sort of splash. Everyone stopped.

"Maya, I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"Well, it depends," she said, sitting up and looking herself over. "I have paint in my hair, on my face, my clothes, my hand... Help me up?" she asked, offering not the spared hand but the one covered in red. He took it without question. "Good." When she hugged him, making well sure there would be transference, he nodded to himself; he'd had that coming. "I'm very well, thanks."

"Is that your Halloween costume now?" he tossed back, inspecting first her handiwork on himself and then looking back at her. She chuckled.

"If it was, then we'd match."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	292. Day 292 Oct 18th - Timing

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-TWO**  
 **OCTOBER 18TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Timing" _[one day]_

Some days she wondered what would have happened if she had known sooner. Not only to know, but to have known how she was ever meant to handle... all of it. The way she felt for him, it had taken her so long to understand it, to know it meant so much to her, and for that... for that, maybe, she had lost her chance.

If she had known it all sooner, it could have been different, they... they could have been different, been something. Instead, this was where they were, with something between them that could not just be torn aside because that something was a someone, a very important someone, to the both of them.

It would have been easier, wouldn't it? If they hadn't waited, or she... But then again, would it really? Could she really trade away all that they'd had, on the off chance that they could have worked out? Maybe they would have, but who was she kidding? They were as good as kids back then, and they still were now, kind of.

So maybe this was ok, as troubled as they were. She was beginning to hope now, wasn't she? Could that blooming little hope support the concept that the timing between them wasn't so much that they'd missed their shot but that they hadn't reached it just yet?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	293. Day 293 Oct 19th - Beauty

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-THREE**  
 **OCTOBER 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Beauty" _[one day]_

He would never tell her this because she would probably think he'd gone mad, but there was something about her he had started to notice. He would watch her sometimes, he would see how her face, her whole self would change, when she would get animated, with joy, with anger, no matter the emotion... and he would find it beautiful.

Maya on her own had looks on her side, sure, but this was something else. He knew plenty of pretty people who were as nasty as they came underneath all that. Maya Hart wasn't one of those. She had beauty inside and out, and he was deeply aware of it, and of her. It got to be that he couldn't ignore it anymore, didn't know what to do with himself or how to look at her without getting caught up in her sometimes.

He would will himself to concentrate, more often than not. One of these days he wouldn't be able to keep it in anymore. He'd have to say something, and when that day came he could only picture himself losing his friend, and he couldn't see why. Maybe it was just easier that way, not to hope too much... Wasn't that exactly what she did most times?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	294. Day 294 Oct 20th - Game 1

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-FOUR**  
 **OCTOBER 20TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Game" _[four days]_  
 _part 1 of 4_

Everything had changed from the moment they had started dating, everything and nothing. In so many ways, all of it was good. The things that hadn't changed were good, and the things that had changed were better. It was all so easy to get caught up in, but in time, Maya was left to think of the way things had been before.

It got her thinking of the early days, him and her and their little game. Was that over now? What was it going to mean for them from now on?

What if they couldn't make it on their own? Everything was wonderful now, and she knew that it was because it was all still brand new to them. That wasn't going to be forever, and once they ended up on the other side... Maybe they needed the game, maybe... even that wouldn't be enough.

Maybe it was just her, getting her head all mixed up, doing the same old thing it had always done, making her doubt anything that was good in her life. It could never last, could it?

No, she had to be better than that. She took up her phone and sent him a text, asking him to come and meet her at Topanga's. She was so excited to go and meet him right now, and again she had her worries circling overhead. That would last, wouldn't it?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	295. Day 295 Oct 21st - Game 2

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIVE**  
 **OCTOBER 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Game" _[four days]_  
 _part 2 of 4_

She arrived first, took a seat at a table outside and waited. When he came bounding down the steps, she smiled at the sight of him and he smiled right back before coming to sit with her.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. "Your text..."

"You know how, when you first came we would sort of mess with each other?"

"Our game," he smirked, and she nodded.

"Yeah, that. Well, we're... us... now, and I just... I started thinking about all of it, and... we don't really do that as much anymore, do we? The game..."

"No, I guess not, but is that such a bad thing? We're still us, yeah?"

She bowed her head, searching for words. How many times would she need him to tell her it would all be okay... again?

"Unless you don't think that we can? Because of a game?"

"No, you know I don't think that, right?" she shook her head. "Not that way, not... This is me, and my weird head."

"I like your weird head," he said, trying to get a smile from her. When he got it, he took her hand. "Tell me what you need, Maya, okay?"

"Just... do your Huckleberry, Ranger Rick, whatever it takes to make this stop, can you do that?"

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	296. Day 296 Oct 22nd - Game 3

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-SIX**  
 **OCTOBER 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Game" _[four days]_  
 _part 3 of 4_

Maya Hart cared so much. He knew that about her, and it was one of the best things he knew about her. Even now, that was all he saw, looking at her. She cared so much, about him, about them, that something like an innocent game could matter this much.

She wanted an answer now, and he was going to give it thought, properly and honestly, because she deserved it. He thought about who they'd been then and who they were now. They had changed, of course, but that wasn't a bad thing, was it?

He looked at her now, and it felt like... he couldn't stop smiling. As much as he'd cared for her then, it didn't come close to the way he felt for her now. They were right where they needed to be, that much he knew and would hold on to, time and time again. No matter how many times her 'weird head' misfired and got her doubting, he wanted to be there, would be there, to bring her back down and show her she had nothing to worry herself over.

He held her hand now, and he met her gaze. She was waiting for him to make it all okay, and the thing that made it all okay for him was that he knew he was about to show her that it already was, that there was a reason she had him smiling.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	297. Day 297 Oct 23rd - Game 4

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-SEVEN**  
 **OCTOBER 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Game" _[four days]_  
 _part 4 of 4_

"Maya, why did we play that game in the first place?" he asked her. She looked at him. "Why did you play it?"

"I don't know, I guess I... I didn't know you very well, not yet, but you were there and... there was something about you. I couldn't chase it. Maybe I was trying to figure it out, you know?"

"You were trying to get to know me."

"Probably, yeah. And it was fun..."

"Yeah, it was," he smiled, seeing her do the same. "You didn't know me then, and we weren't us. But you do now, and we are, right?"

"Yeah," she went on smiling, and he could see she was reaching his own conclusion. "We don't need that game anymore. We have a new game, we... we leveled up."

"Leveled up," she repeated. "That... that could be interesting," she nodded slowly. "Different rules, yeah?"

"Different rules," he agreed. "But the goal stays the same. You and me, we look out for each other. Doesn't have to be any more complicated than that. All I ever want to know is that you're happy, and that some of that is because of me." The look in her eyes said it all: a lot of it was because of him. "So how did I do?"

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	298. Day 298 Oct 24th - Detention

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-EIGHT**  
 **OCTOBER 24TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Detention" _[one day]_

She didn't go around trying to get in trouble, it just sort of found her, and then it'd be one more trip to detention. It never used to be much of a problem, none more than usual, but then she'd gone on to discover there were new road blocks for her like promises being made to one cowboy that were challenged by being forced to sit through detention.

He had a game, she'd sworn she'd be there, over and over. And then this morning, boom... detention. It was killing her. As soon as it was done, she'd bolted to the gym... and found the game done.

"Lucas, I..." she hurried to him when she saw him. "I'm so sorry, I am. I should have been here, I promised I would be, and I wasn't... Did you guys win?"

"We did, yeah, we... What happened? Where were you?" He wouldn't argue, but she could tell he'd wanted her there and her absence had been deeply felt.

"Detention," she admitted. "Apparently I can't help myself. I'm not making excuses. Maybe I shouldn't make any promises from now on, I'm so good at keeping them apparently," she sighed.

"Well... maybe not. And you're good at plenty of other things. It's one game."

"Then I'll... I'll do my best for the next one."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	299. Day 299 Oct 25th - Greeting

**DAY TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-NINE**  
 **OCTOBER 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Greeting" _[one day]_

He didn't know how happy it could make him all at once to hear someone call out 'Hey Huckleberry!' to him most every morning until summer came upon them, and he went away, and he started to miss it, miss her greeting him that way. It had become a part of his world, more important than he expected. After a while, he'd gone so far as to get his phone and call her. Almost as though she'd known...

"Hey, Huckleberry, how's Huckleberryville?" she'd asked, and he smiled.

"Good, I guess. Making me miss home."

"Well don't let them hear that, they'll kick you out," she teased with a laugh.

"Alright then I won't tell if you don't."

"I'm not penpals with the cows and the horses, you know? So when are you coming back? It's not the same without you around here," she told him.

"Yeah, I could say the same about you. I'll be home next week."

"Good, we'll be waiting for you. If you make it back on time, you might get a shot at Splash Wars." He blinked.

"What's Splash Wars?" he asked.

"You worry about Huckleberryville, okay? You'll find out the rest when you get home."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	300. Day 300 Oct 26th - Country

**DAY THREE HUNDRED**  
 **OCTOBER 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Country" _[one day]_

She teased him so much about where he came from, called him on his Ranger-like qualities so much. The truth was she could not have imagined him any other way. The whole thing suited him perfectly.

He was that country boy. It was so much better than what she made it sound like. She knew he'd had his troubles in the past, but she never saw those as defining him. No, she knew who he was deep down, and it was that she responded to so easily.

It might not always have seemed as though it would work to pair them up, city mouse versus country mouse, but then the city didn't have to define her either, did it? And that was how she'd come to realize that it could work. Because underneath it all, his origins and hers, they were their own people, and those people had plenty of pieces that seemed to naturally fit, no effort required.

It didn't mean she would go and stop teasing him. That was always fun... especially when he teased her back... especially when he smiled at her. It would always work best to see the things that made them different as much as those that made them the same, made them fit.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	301. Day 301 Oct 27th - Outburst

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND ONE**  
 **OCTOBER 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Outburst" _[one day]_

She'd run off when they'd been standing there looking at each other for a good ten seconds. It was either that or staying there and letting things get awkward.

Of course now that she'd run off, she could see that, as responses went, that might not have been the best. So long as it let her stop and think things through, it would have to do.

She hadn't meant to say it. As for meaning what she'd said, well... She'd need more time for that one. She most definitely hadn't meant to say it the way she'd done it. That was the one thing she knew. Shouting that you loved a guy in the middle of arguing with him, that couldn't be right, could it?

She really shouldn't have run off, should she... Had she made it worse? That would have been just like her, it would, and he... He'd found her, stopped her.

"Look, let's not make this too big, okay? I don't even... I don't know why I... Can we go back, can we just not..."

"Did you mean... what you said?"

"I... I don't know, I... Maybe?" Oh, but she did, didn't she? She saw it now...

"Then we do like you said. We go back, and... when you're ready, we can say what we have to say."

We... He had things to say, too?

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	302. Day 302 Oct 28th - Future 1

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWO**  
 **OCTOBER 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Future" _[seven days]_  
 _part 1 of 7_

The school year had ended, and there wouldn't be much more of that before they were through with high school and moving forward. But that wasn't the only thing moving forward. They were doing so good, the both of them together. It wasn't always perfect, but they had gotten to a place where they knew that this was fine, that it was normal.

He would look at her, and he would feel it, this terrifying but wonderful notion that he might see himself being with this person in his life for as long as that lasted. That was normal, too, sure, but they were still young, and to move from knowing that you cared for a person to thinking about having years and years with them, that was something he was only now discovering.

When she'd looked back at him and found him staring, he had imagined himself looking away, but he couldn't. He understood now, he knew what this feeling was. He had been growing closer to the thought of it, ever since she'd first said it, in a spur of the moment outburst. He'd let her take it back for the time being, but that was then, and now... now he knew he would regret not telling her his truth.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Huckleberry?" she asked, and he smiled.

"I'm looking at you like that because I love you, Maya."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	303. Day 303 Oct 29th - Future 2

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THREE**  
 **OCTOBER 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Future" _[seven days]_  
 _part 2 of 7_

She d been caught in his eyes, and then he d said those words and she didn t know how to explain what she felt. It was at once as though she did and didn t know that it would come, and when it did, to her own complete surprise, she didn t run.

She didn t feel that she had to. Her head was spinning, and her heart, oh, her heart He had said those words, and she knew that he meant them. He loved her, he, Lucas Friar, was in love with her. And knowing that, in one moment, it had opened all the doors and let him come through, until she could see that he d already found the space where he belonged, there in her heart for him to stay.

Maya? he spoke, sort of nervous. Did you hear what I said, do you Was I not

My brain just needs a few seconds, she held up her finger, and he nodded, showing himself to be waiting patiently, which made her smile, and seeing that, he tried so much not to look too quick to jump to conclusions that she had to chuckle. All those muscles, and you look so scared right now, Ranger Rick.

Are you kidding? I am terrified, he laughed.

No wonder I love you so much then, she reached for his hand, and he bowed his head to kiss the top of hers as they went on walking.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	304. Day 304 Oct 30th - Future 3

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FOUR**  
 **OCTOBER 30TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Future" _[seven days]_  
 _part 3 of 7_

She woke up that morning recalling the day he had first told her he loved her, and she'd said it back, and she smiled to herself thinking of how many other times they had cause to say it over the last few years, and now... today... It would be the biggest one yet, and she couldn't even see him yet because her mother and Riley and hers had all argued how it would be bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding and all of that.

But she was herself, and she needed to talk to him if not see him. Texting, calling, it would never do, but sneaking out to go and find him, that was more like it. He was at Zay's, to further enable this 'no looking' policy.

She made it there in no time, though her 'guards' back home had already caught on to her flight, going by how her phone was chirping every few seconds. It was silenced as she reached the apartment, as Zay came dashing out, phone in hand, telling her to turn and go back.

"What are you going to do if I don't?"

Zay knew better, of course, but he came to a solution that would put everyone at ease, leading her into the apartment by the hand, with her eyes closed, where he called for Lucas to do the same.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	305. Day 305 Oct 31st - Future 4

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIVE**  
 **OCTOBER 31ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Future" _[seven days]_  
 _part 4 of 7_

Much as Zay would tell her to keep her eyes closed, he didn't really need to. A part of her - much as she'd try to deny it - did hold a frustratingly genuine belief of the dangers of their seeing one another ahead of time. Lucas was of that same mind, going by the protests she heard, but then all of it changed when she spoke.

"I won't open my eyes if you won't, deal?" she asked, blindly moving forward.

"I swear," he said, helping to direct her. "Maya, where..." he started to ask, just as she almost knocked him over, running into him. He was quick to catch her, and she startled, but knowing that he was there, she calmed at once. "Hey..."

"Good morning, disembodied voice," she smiled, reaching up her hands to find his face. Once she had it, she turned her head up to face him. "I wanted you to know, I'm not going to pull one of those stunts, won't get cold feet. I'm going to come down that aisle and I won't go anywhere until I'm Mrs. Ranger Rick."

"Never doubted you would," he promised, and she could feel his smile as much as she heard it. She kissed him quick before Zay could come and split them up.

"I better go, this whole bride thing is a lot of work. It'll be worth it though, just to see the look on your face."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	306. Day 306 Nov 1st - Future 5

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIX**  
 **NOVEMBER 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Future" _[seven days]_  
 _part 5 of 7_

On those hectic mornings when the girls would be arguing and Thomas would be crying and all would be chaos, she would wonder how it could have been almost fourteen years since she and Lucas had been married. She would think back to that morning, that little quiet morning... Oh, she would never give it up, not any of it, but then the quiet... That was nice, too.

She would look at Lucas and she'd know he was thinking something just along that line, too. And then he would smile that Huckleberry smile of his, walk into the storm and calm it right down, like magic.

"I'm going to start calling you Wizard Rick pretty soon, you know that?" she teased as he came to her with a peaceful Thomas in his arms. The boy reached for his mother, who happily took him, while his father laughed.

"You could, but then what are we going to call you? You need your own name, too."

"Oh, I could think of a few," she told herself with a sigh, smiling when Thomas pressed his head to her shoulder. "Well, Magic Man, you and I need to have a talk, upstairs. Emily, Lizzie, come get your brother please?" she called. She could see his puzzled look, but she said nothing. Once Thomas was with his sisters, Maya took Lucas by the shoulders and led him upstairs.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	307. Day 307 Nov 2nd - Future 6

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SEVEN**  
 **NOVEMBER 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Future" _[seven days]_  
 _part 6 of 7_

"Maya, what are you doing, what..." he asked as she closed their bedroom door and turned to him. "Maya..."

"I really love this house. It felt right as soon as we saw it. We came in here with a toddler and a baby, now there's the three of them, and us, and now..."

"And now what?" Lucas asked, seeing how fretful she was growing around him.

"And now when I tell you what I have to say, you might see what I'm seeing, that we might have to say goodbye to this..."

"When you tell me..." he cut her off, and all she had to do was to look at him and it clicked. "Maya, are you..."

"We... We are about to have a new resident to our mad little house," she confirmed with a breath, and as much as her mind had immediately gone to what it would mean for their family and their home, seeing the sudden joy spread on his face had finally brushed her worries aside and let her take in the news for what it was.

This was good news, the best news, as only their children could ever be, all three and now soon four of them. Maybe his "Wizard" powers weren't only good for their daughters and son.

"We'll find a way," he said. "The house, it's ours."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	308. Day 308 Nov 3rd - Future 7

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHT**  
 **NOVEMBER 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Future" _[seven days]_  
 _part 7 of 7_

The months that had sped by until they brought their little Patrick home felt as though they had proven her wrong every step of the way since the day she had told Lucas they would be having him. She'd been certain they would have to leave their precious house behind.

Instead, the months had seen the place readied to welcome the sixth member of the Friar-Hart household. He had shown her it could be done, that their daughters and sons could all make more memories within these walls and the house would hold, and expand like breath to hold them. It might have been someday that they would have to leave this place, but it would not be for this.

The chaos of voices seemed to have settled. They would all three of them gather around their little brother and there would be nothing at all wrong with the world. And Maya and Lucas would look at them, their children, and they would feel like miracles, each one of them.

Time had a way of catching them by surprise. One moment you were kids yourselves, falling in love, and then you were vowing to carry on doing so for the rest of your lives, and then there were those little faces staring back at you, and suddenly the future was the present, and the impossible was possible.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	309. Day 309 Nov 4th - Weakness

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND NINE**  
 **NOVEMBER 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Weakness" _[one day]_

The more days went by, the harder it became for either of them to ignore all that was happening between them. She saw it, and he saw it, but neither one of them seemed able to do a thing about it.

Somewhere inside they knew they wanted to, but then it never happened, not even in some halfway accomplished plan. There was no plan at all. They couldn't do it. The way was blocked by so much fear and doubt that they wouldn't have known how to navigate even one step forward. And clearing that path, breaking through those blocks... it felt as impossible as the rest.

So day to day, this was how they remained, feeling they couldn't move forward out of a weakness they couldn't put a name to. They had both of them shown they could be strong people, but here was where they showed the other side, kept underneath for so long because it was tied to a part of themselves they had trouble showing.

But for all that, deep inside there remained that small but mighty hope, burrowing its way along, crumb by crumb, and without it they might never have seen that there was a path, or that they wanted to cross it.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	310. Day 310 Nov 5th - Hide

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TEN**  
 **NOVEMBER 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hide" _[one day]_

When she'd been younger, she had been the queen of hide and seek. They could walk by her countless times and not realize that she was there. In a lot of ways, her situation now felt that way, too.

How long had she sat there with all of them, with him, and they had no idea what it was she felt for him. But it was there, hidden in plain sight. Even she had been fooled at first, and there would be plenty of times when she wished she couldn't see it either. It would be so much easier.

When she'd be hiding, she could spend so long in her space, unfound, she would end up feeling almost calm. On one or two occasions she had fallen asleep, only to be awakened by Riley's mother or father.

But this, now, this was not relaxing, far from. It filled her with stress, just more and more, and she didn't know what it would do to her if she reached the full capacity and it kept on coming. And there really was nothing she could do about it, not without risking everything, and she'd been through too much, knew better than to do anything like that. She wasn't going to be the one to send it all to pieces.

She would sit, and she'd wait, and maybe sooner or later she'd fall asleep and someone would come and wake her up when it was over.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	311. Day 311 Nov 6th - Class

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN**  
 **NOVEMBER 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Class" _[one day]_

No matter where they were, from subject to subject, she always knew where he was. There was something about being in class, him and her, that always made it better, more... lively and entertaining. He'd get her going sometimes, and she couldn't imagine getting through some of those classes without him.

Even when she couldn't see him, she always knew where he was, and after a while it got to be a source of comfort to her. It was a strange little feeling, the kind of thing you couldn't explain, kind of thing you didn't need to explain. Everyone in those classes, they had their purpose, their thing they brought into the picture.

And Lucas... Lucas was his own thing, defying description. She didn't need to be able to put it into words, she just needed him there, doing it.

In a good bit of reversal, she had come to recognize the fact that he did his own share of relying on her. She saw it in the way he'd look at her, sometimes, when she was able to see him, so who knew what he did when she couldn't see him. They looked out for one another when they were in class, in a way different from whenever they were anywhere else.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	312. Day 312 Nov 7th - Dream 1

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWELVE**  
 **NOVEMBER 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Dream" _[two days] part 1 of 2_

He hadn't known how it would feel to see her again after last night and the dream he'd had. Would he be able to look her in the eye? It was nothing shameful, but even so, he had a feeling he'd have it written all over his face, and maybe it would not be laid out in so many words, but she'd know something was up.

Once that happened, she wouldn't leave it alone, not for a second. She would tease and prod until he would say something and then... He didn't know what would be worse, to have her laugh it off and hold it over his head, or to have her take it serious and pull away from him.

He had the dream, there at the edge of his mind, no matter what he tried to make it go away. It wasn't just a dream that he'd had in his sleep, it was a dream for his future, for him and her to have that together. Him, and her, and the future.

And the dream he'd had, showing him how he saw it, how he thought about it, he truth was he'd had it before. He'd had it three times just this week, but this time... This time it had felt like something more, and that was what had him so much more wound up...

"Morning, Ranger Rick," the voice startled him and he turned to find Maya there.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	313. Day 313 Nov 8th - Dream 2

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN**  
 **NOVEMBER 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Dream" _[two days] part 2 of 2_

There was something in his eyes she could not pinpoint. He looked nervous and she couldn't see what would cause it. He stared at her, like he couldn't speak.

"Are you sleeping in there? Off to dreamy dream land?" she joked and he blinked.

"What? Dream, I... No, I, uh... I got distracted by... the holiday decorations," he pointed. "They just came up, huh."

"They've been there since last week," she frowned. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing, just tired, I guess. Gotta go."

Just like that, he went on his way and she was left standing in confusion.

He'd just get that way around her sometimes these days. She could not get a straight answer out of him no matter what she tried. She had to wonder if this was the cause for her dreams.

It was like a part of her missed a part of him and tried to compensate at night, with dreams of him and her, being all goofy and weird... and happy. She'd never tell him, it'd be too weird, but still, sometimes she'd look at him and she would be brought right back there, to her dreams and that fantasy Lucas who didn't look so preoccupied half the time. When she was there, all was as it should be.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	314. Day 314 Nov 9th - World

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN**  
 **NOVEMBER 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "World" _[one day]_

He would have taken her everywhere if he could have done it. All around the world, just him and her, seeing all there was to see. Maybe someday they could do it, but that day had not come, not even close.

Still, he knew it would be a thing they would do in the future, just to travel and see what was out there. And if he could experience it through her eyes, see its beauty the way she saw it, that would make it even better.

Maya just had that about her. She appreciated these wonders she had never seen or hoped to see, and that spoke volumes to the person that she was as a whole. It showed an openness of spirit he found absolutely wonder, just as he'd done as long as he'd known her.

It would one great and endless adventure, and he couldn't wait for them to live it. For as long as they would have waited to get there, once they did arrive it would feel just right.

He could imagine it, imagine her. Maya Penelope Hart, a citizen of the world, observer, artist and discoverer. And he would be there by her side all the way. Lucas Friar, good old Ranger Rick, out on a mission of adventure in parts unknown.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	315. Day 315 Nov 10th - Train

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN**  
 **NOVEMBER 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Train" _[one day]_

They could have flown, but somehow it wouldn't have felt right. Each time they had gone on a train. As the years had gone by, the journey had become so familiar to them that they felt they knew it by heart.

By the time Emily had been old enough to care, spending most of the ride with her face stuck at the window, Lucas had turned into the tour guide, faithfully describing the land passing them by, while Maya would throw in made up facts and get him distracted.

Those rides, soon joined by Lizzie, and Thomas, soon Patrick, too, became a deeply meaningful thing to their family. Taking the train became a grand event, with all its traditions.

For Maya and for Lucas both, thinking of themselves, that first trip, thinking of all that they had lived, all they'd gained, it made the train more than an adventure. It became like an ever-expanding timeline to their family, also expanding, taking them from those two kids to a pair in love, and married, now with children of their own, making their way down to Texas.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	316. Day 316 Nov 11th - Reaction

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN**  
 **NOVEMBER 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Reaction" _[one day]_

It was starting to feel like a game, a new one, where they were both so close to breaking, and now it became about which one of them was going to make it, which one of them might finally break. Which one would allow themselves to show how they felt, to react, not conceal?

Maybe if one of them finally broke, the other could do it, too. Of course, as far as they knew, where things were, the way they were, it could have been one thing like it could have been another. They could have been letting themselves believe something that wasn't really there, making something out of nothing.

Maybe for one or the other the stakes were different, the concerns brought on by letting their feelings show were higher, or lower... But one day, they hoped, they wished, one of them would show their hand, and then it would be there, out in the open.

Soon it might get to the point where they would be tired of waiting for something to happen, and the game would move forward, to the point where they would try, actively try to make the other break. Or maybe, like a hidden ace in their back pocket, they would make that daring move of not waiting for a break and going right in with the hammer.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	317. Day 317 Nov 12th - Together

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN**  
 **NOVEMBER 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Together" _[one day]_

The days after their relationship had become public knowledge, it had been their challenge, to not let it get to their heads, not let it rattle them. It had come close, a couple of times, but then they'd survived it, maybe made stronger, and now they were on the other side. They were together, and they knew that was where they belonged and wanted to be.

There was still a part of them that was shy and uncertain, but every day it felt more and more like they were finding their rhythm. For having it all feel like something they would never get, not for real, suddenly it was not only real, it was better than they could ever have imagined. It was something precious, and wonderful, and it made it so that, however they might have feared something would go wrong, they now got to feeling they wanted to fight past it all, and that they could.

There would be new obstacles along the way, as there always were, in any relationship, but to both of them it didn't matter near as much as the fact that, after all their struggles, the two of them were happy and together.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	318. Day 318 Nov 13th - Secret 1

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN**  
 **NOVEMBER 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Secret" _[five days] part 1 of 5_

Walking into Mr Matthews' class that day, they only needed to get one look at their teacher to know he had something up his sleeves. Maya had years on most of them when it came to Cory Matthews. The holidays were upon them, and the man fancied himself Santa on more than just December 25th, so now... now...

He wanted the class to not only get into the spirit but focus on one of the faces around them. He wouldn't use the words "Secret Santa," but that was what it came down to for all of them. They were supposed to pick out a name, and do something good for them, without asking for recognition.

They could buy a present, or make one, or they could think outside the box. It was all up to them. So the bag of names went around, the strips of paper were fished out one by one, their contents guarded. For most of them, unknowingly, the name they held didn't have theirs in return. There were two exceptions.

Sarah had Yindra, and Yindra had Sarah, while Maya had Lucas, and Lucas had Maya. Now all of them had their mission laid out before them. They would come up with something good, spread a little cheer.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	319. Day 319 Nov 14th - Secret 2

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN**  
 **NOVEMBER 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Secret" _[five days] part 2 of 5_

When he'd unfolded that paper, and seen her name there, his immediate reaction was relief. This was Maya, he knew her. He could do this in a breeze.

But then the more time went by, and he got to thinking about what would be the right choice, he started to feel the truth arise. He had been tasked with this project, it felt bigger than a simple present. It had to be something for her, and it had to make her feel good, not knowing it had anything to do this for her, and to do it just right, that was the hard part. She deserved to feel like someone had given it thought, given her thought.

The thought that he could do this for her was making him feel a strange sort of elation. So now this was his space, his brain stuck trying to find what he could get her, or what he could do for her. She might figure out it had come from him, though he hoped she didn't.

He hoped she could find this gift, whatever it would be, and it would be enough. The rest of the day went by, but most of it he would spend distracted, trying to think up some great surprise treat to put in for Maya's benefit.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	320. Day 320 Nov 15th - Secret 3

**A/N:** Sorry, I thought I had uploaded this yesterday, guess it didn't go through..

 **DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY**

 **NOVEMBER 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Secret" _[five days] part 3 of 5_

Two days onward, since Mr Matthews had set the project on to them, everyone was curious, looking at their classmates, wondering which one of them had picked their name. Some were particularly insistent, trying to suss it out of those they suspected.

Lucas had seen Maya going around, like she didn't need a suspect. She was going to interrogate every last one of them, and the looks on the others' faces told him they had flat out confessed not having her name, just to get her to leave them be. He had to do something before the process of elimination went and ruined the element of surprise for her.

"Maya," he went and pulled her aside. "You can't keep doing that, it's not the point. You won't be surprised." She stared.

"So who'd you get, Huckleberry?" she asked, stepping up to him without a reply.

"Not telling," he held his ground. "And neither should you. Come on, deal?"

"Figures you'd say that, Ranger Rick," she frowned, then sighed. "Alright, fine, I'll stop, I guess," she shrugged, making to leave but turning back to him. "Are you going to tell me you're not even a little curious about who's got you, what you'll get?"

"Sure," he smiled. "But it's like I said, I want to be surprised." She said nothing, only smiled.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	321. Day 321 Nov 16th - Secret 4

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE**  
 **NOVEMBER 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Secret" _[five days] part 4 of 5_

The truth was she'd been distracting herself by trying to find who had picked her. At least that'd be progress, right? When she'd picked out Lucas' name, her mind had gone the same way it usually did. She'd draw, or paint, or something...

But then how was that going to be a secret? He'd take one look and know it had come from her. So she had to do something else, and she had no idea. She couldn't buy him anything, not really, she didn't have the money. But that wasn't even her biggest problem.

What was she going to do for him? What if whatever she chose to do left them in a complicated space they couldn't get out of?

She couldn't let herself think like that, no. The only thing that had to matter would be their friendship, and the spirit of the holidays, the very thing Mr Matthews wanted them to explore. She was going to do exactly that.

And Lucas, her clueless Ranger who didn't know she had his name in hand, he deserved the same thing he had wanted to preserve for her. She would find the thing, the right thing for him, it it was the last thing she did.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	322. Day 322 Nov 17th - Secret 5

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO**  
 **NOVEMBER 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Secret" _[five days] part 5 of 5_

She'd arrived at school that morning and it had all just been there, up and down the halls. Her art. Everything she knew had been here in the school, for class. Everyone was seeing it, they were looking at this piece and that one.

It made her grow at once rigid, but all of them looking up, her friends included, were looking sort of... fascinated? They liked her art. And for a moment, standing in the middle of the hallway, she could only smile, so much so that she almost forgot what she was meant to do.

Lucas was in one of the packs of observers, so she had to hurry to get to his locker and sneak in the package from her bag before he could see. She was quick, breaking away just in time to go and hide and watch as he reached inside.

It wasn't much, but for a while she'd been looking at the book, thinking Lucas would actually be one to appreciate it, while she... she had held on to it for years as something her father had left behind, something she might keep of his.

Now she had realized she'd been looking to it because of two reasons. One, because she didn't need to keep it anymore, and two... well, two was the look of pure wonder that spread over his face when he opened up the wrapping.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	323. Day 323 Nov 18th - Protect 1

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREE**  
 **NOVEMBER 18TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Protect" _[four days] part 1 of 4_

She called all those names, Ranger Rick, Huckleberry. All of that, and it came out of a certain and specific kind of behavior, someone just and lawful. It presented him as some kind of cowboy, looking out for people, and she had known that, but then today for some reason, it had been too much.

When Lucas had suddenly stepped up, in her defense, it had felt somehow like too much, and she'd just snapped. Everyone around them had already been watching them, for the original incident, but when she'd reacted to him, it had gotten suddenly even quieter. She'd marched off, and he'd followed.

"Maya, wait... Maya, come on, just..."

"I don't want to hear it, Lucas," she called back at him without stopping. "I may be small, but I can handle myself just fine on my own, without you stepping in like the great lumbering Ranger Rick you are."

Somewhere in her head she knew she wasn't upset with him as much as she proclaimed to be, but she couldn't climb down, not now. She had to ride it out.

"Look, just leave me alone, okay?"

"Right... okay..." he spoke, his voice flat, growing fainter. He'd stopped following.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	324. Day 324 Nov 19th - Protect 2

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR**  
 **NOVEMBER 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Protect" _[four days] part 2 of 4_

He didn't understand what had just happened. They'd been in the cafeteria, one of the guys had been getting up in her face, and he'd acted as much as he'd reacted.

It had lasted all of three seconds and then she'd yelled at him and run off. Now he was in the hall, watching her walk away. He just didn't know what he'd done to upset her. He hadn't done anything trying to earn any favor, he'd only meant to help her, and then she'd just freaked out.

He could only think about what she'd said, after she'd left the cafeteria. Did she think he didn't care? Or that he didn't think she could take care of herself? That couldn't have been further from the truth, honestly.

Strong as she was, it hadn't felt like it would have ended well. So fine, he had reacted, he'd stepped in. Now he was on his own, and his friend was angry at him. As much as he wanted to go after her, he knew it would not be what she wanted.

He decided to stop, stay where he was. It wasn't as though he could go back to the cafeteria after what had gone down before. He was just near his locker, so he went and sat on the ground in front of it, and he waited in silence.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	325. Day 325 Nov 20th - Protect 3

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE**  
 **NOVEMBER 20TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Protect" _[four days] part 3 of 4_

She'd kept on speeding down the halls until she'd reached the art classroom. Finally she just stopped, and she stood there, feeling like her heart and her lungs and all of it were too big for her ribcage. She paced, breathing as best she could, trying to calm down.

She didn't know why it was affecting her this way, didn't know... Was it Lucas' involvement, or the incident that had provoked it that had her so far gone? Was it even him she'd been upset with or was she... had she just gotten scared?

She didn't ever feel like this before, and maybe it had gotten to her, maybe she could only brush it off if no one thought she'd been shaken. And Lucas... Lucas...

She could breathe now, and with a clear head, she got a new sort of feeling that came off a lot like guilt. He hadn't deserved this, any of it, but he was Ranger Rick, he'd taken it, of course he did.

What was she supposed to do? If she went to him, would he hear her out or would she have just wounded him too much? She didn't have a choice. She had to find him, had to find a way to apologize to him, put the whole thing behind them.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	326. Day 326 Nov 21st - Protect 4

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX**

 **NOVEMBER 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Protect" _[four days] part 4 of 4_

He recognized her steps as she approached and watched her feet come to a stop in front of him. After a beat she came and sat next to him. They were both silent, quiet.

"Lucas," she finally spoke, and as much as the last time her use of his name had felt like her way of being serious, now it felt more like a show of sincerity and regret.

"You don't have to say anything," he told her, but she looked at him and he nodded, understanding. "I mean go ahead, I'm sorry." She was hesitating.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You weren't the one I was upset with. If anyone needs to say they're sorry, I..." her voice briefly halted. "I'm sorry, okay? Can we pretend like it didn't happen, like any of it?" He looked at her, and maybe she didn't say more, but she didn't have to. She'd said all she'd had to say.

"Never happened," he agreed, and silence resumed, him and her sitting side by side in the deserted hallway.

He felt like she didn't want to leave, not yet, so he didn't make any move to rise either. He could see it now, she'd been shaken, and that had rattled her more than anything else. He was going to be there, now as ever.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	327. Day 327 Nov 22nd - Good

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN**

 **NOVEMBER 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Good" _[one day]_

He wished she could see herself the way he saw her. It always left him feeling a painful sort of thing whenever he saw how hard she could be on herself. She didn't see how truly good of a person she was. She saw the damage, and he saw it, too, what parts she let him see, but it seemed sometimes like the damage was all that she saw.

He wished she saw everything around that damage, all the qualities he had grown to recognize in her. Maybe it was normal for her to be like this, to need a way of coping, but he couldn't see it being good for her in the long run.

He spent so much of their time together recognizing the good in her, not just because she needed to see it but because he wanted her to. She was one of the best people he knew. He knew she saw him as some kind of moral beacon, as Lucas the Good, but she might have been something more than him, underneath it all.

That was what pained him the most, seeing how she continued to show herself not seeing the good in her, not recognizing it. So he did what he could. He kept on recognizing it enough for the both of them.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	328. Day 328 Nov 23rd - Clothes

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT**

 **NOVEMBER 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Clothes" _[one day]_

He'd gotten used to the way she looked. The first time he saw her after she got a new wardrobe, he remembered a sense of surprise coming over him like here she was, this girl he knew, his friend. But she looked different all of a sudden.

Part of it was about the clothes, of course, how could it not? She'd always had her own style, but this... This was something else. More than the clothes themselves though, it was her who changed, too.

She had a new sort of... light... about her, and it would just kind of catch him off guard. It had been happening more and more though, him being surprised by her, by the way she'd affect him. More often than not, he would try not to think about it, to pretend like nothing had changed.

What was he supposed to do? If he just faced it head on, he felt like it would only confuse him, confuse them. The new clothes were only one thing though, one in a long line, and the way it had been going, he didn't think it would be the last. Sooner or later, he would run out of chances to put it aside. Sooner or later he would have to admit it to himself, all of it.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	329. Day 329 Nov 24th - Moment 1

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE**

 **NOVEMBER 24TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Moment" _[two days] part 1 of 2_

One day they would be posed with the question. When had they known, what was the moment when they had fallen in love, when they had known. When they would answer though, it would become clear it wasn't so simple of an answer.

It was a story, a long one, that told it like it was. There was no single moment, no switch. In a way, they could never go and pinpoint any one instant, not for any part of it. The fall had been unseen, definitely, like they'd been floating down all along and they had been unable to feel the descent. And suddenly there they were, and there was no climbing out anytime soon.

And the other part, the realization, well... Maybe there had been a moment, a click, but it had not felt like that, not really. To them, it had been as though they had stopped and seen that they already knew.

The biggest moment in this, for both of them, would be the one where they could stop and discover that these things they felt, they weren't isolated. When they discovered the feeling was mutual, that... that was the one moment they could point to.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	330. Day 330 Nov 25th - Moment 2

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY**

 **NOVEMBER 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Moment" _[two days] part 2 of 2_

The story would be little Emily Friar's favorite from the moment she heard it. What little she may have understood of love had come from her mother and father after all, from seeing how they were with one another.

It would be near impossible for her, or her siblings in time, to imagine the pair of them as anything other than their parents, to see them as teenagers, but they had been that. They had been a couple of kids, friends, and a confused pair at that. And after months and months of ups and downs and twists and turns, just when it didn't look like it would all have been too late, too far gone...

Then all it had taken to turn things around, to bring it all together, had been all those things that had been part of them from the start. One quiet moment, coming out of another, this one loud and lively, engaged, and they would remember that second, looking at each other, their own feelings alight in their hearts, there on their faces, only to discover that same look there in the other's, and suddenly it had been enough, the path opened, and they knew, without question or doubt.

Whether or not that realization would be the fix to everything, they couldn't say. But it had been a most important turn.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	331. Day 331 Nov 26th - Quiet

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE**

 **NOVEMBER 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Quiet" _[one day]_

In the morning, those first times after they had just moved in together, she would wake up and look at him, without making a sound, simply unable to believe that they had made it here.

But then the best part would be when he woke up, too, and he would look back at her. To spend those stretches of time, minutes stretching by unchecked, no words, no sounds, it was... simple, but in the other's eyes they found entire conversations.

There were no words because there was no defining it. In the silence, they were reminded of where they'd been, where they were, and everything that stood in between. They were reminded of all those times where it would have seemed so completely unlikely that they could end up here.

And when those memories would come, as they looked to one another, knowing that they'd made it through, he would smile, and she would smile back. Then he would reach for her hand and she would give it over gladly.

In the end they would have to get up, get the day started, but when they were in no rush, then the day could wait, the day, the world, the noise... They had each other, and they didn't need anything else so long as that remained.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	332. Day 332 Nov 27th - New

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO**

 **NOVEMBER 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "New" _[one day]_

She remembered him sometimes the way she'd done when he was new at school. He was just this guy, this giant, golden boy right out of Texas. And that shiny new presence had been something for her to get pulled in by, and oh... she couldn't break away even if she tried.

Every day, she only got pulled further and further, found new corners to explore. He was a blank canvas and day by day a new color was added, a new patch was filled in, a curve here, a splatter there.

He became a person that she knew, something wonderful, something... someone she cared for. But she had not forgotten when she'd he'd been that canvas, and it might have been that she didn't see him the same way anymore, but she did; she didn't think she could have ever stopped finding new corners to fill.

And every once in a while it would feel like a rediscovery, like no matter what happened, he was never going to leave her, Lucas Friar, the shiny new guy, the blank canvas. And she would remember each one of those colors, and lines, and patterns, all those things that had shaped her friend, the boy who made her smile, and laugh, the boy she'd started to like, never wanted to let go.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	333. Day 333 Nov 28th - Heart 1

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE**

 **NOVEMBER 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Heart" _[two days] part 1 of 2_

The first time they found themselves at once dating and midway through February, they had to stop and realize they now had not only a reason to celebrate Valentine's Day but a desire to do so. They would both play it cool in the beginning, but they instead learned about themselves was that they cared very much.

They were going to do something great for the one they cared for. Lucas had become notably inspired by the fact that her name sounded like 'heart,' and this meant a load of word plays that really should have bothered her. Instead, they only made her smile, surprising her most of all.

As the day had grown nearer, and in light of any number of horror stories she had picked up from both her mother and Shawn, Maya had made a decision, one which Lucas had rapidly accepted after hearing her out.

In all likelihood, one or both them would overreach in their plans for this particular date, so rather than to attempt anything too far out there, they would try and keep it as simple but special as they could. When Valentine's Day would come, they would have a very good day; she would make more than sure.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	334. Day 334 Nov 29th - Heart 2

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR**

 **NOVEMBER 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Heart" _[two days] part 2 of 2_

When he arrived to pick her up, he was briefly taken away from wondering why she stood outside already waiting for him - later explained as the means to keep her parents from cornering him - once he got a look at her.

The dress felt very much like the kind of thing one would reserve for special occasions. It might have been new. He told her she looked beautiful, something that felt like such an understatement, but then she gave him such a smile...

As promised, he had a very simple evening set for them, but one that would be worthy of the occasion in every way. Both of them went around with so much caution, in the way one would, for fear of making a mistake.

Once upon a time, they might have stumbled, failed, but they were not so confused about one another as they had once been, and before they knew it, they were finding the evening was going very well, and they forgot how nervous they had been. All they felt now was happiness, and something that felt more and more like love, carving a permanent space in their hearts. Now the bar was set. They were left confident that this experience would be repeated the following year.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	335. Day 335 Nov 30th - Locker

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE**

 **NOVEMBER 30TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Locker" _[one day]_

She had taken on the task by herself. Riley had been deadset against her breaking into his locker, even if their intentions were noble. They would contact his friends back in Texas, and the easiest way to do so would be for them to get the information off his phone.

She'd just seen him leave it there, it was perfect. In no time, the door was open, and she had his phone. Getting the contacts had been easy, which meant of course she had time to snoop.

She looked through his pictures. There were plenty of him and his friends just being dudes, she guessed. They made her chuckle to herself, standing by his locker. As much as they'd been getting to know him, it was clear there was plenty they still didn't know about good old Ranger Rick, and she was getting to think how she wouldn't have minded finding out more, and not just as a way of holding anything over him. He was just this strangely interesting person to her...

Eventually she'd been forced to return the phone, shut the door to his locker and stalk away, but she had gotten what she needed and more. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	336. Day 336 Dec 1st - Hallway

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIX**

 **DECEMBER 1ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Hallway" _[one day]_

The morning had started as normal as any. Actually, it might have been too quiet; it wouldn't last.

The next thing they knew, there was Maya Hart tearing down the hallway, a grin on her face like she'd just pulled off the heist of the decade. And in the next moment, there came Lucas Friar chasing after her, looking like he might have caught up to her, only she was faster than she looked.

So he skidded to a stop and, for some reason they couldn't understand, he started back the way he'd come. Then it came to them, as it would come to her: she was about to loop all the way around, which could only mean...

"Gotcha!" they heard him shout, followed by a squeal that melted into laughter.

And two seconds later she was running by them again, smile bolder, flush redder, as he tore in, the pursuit resumed, one circuit, then another, until there was the bell, and when she stalled he made to catch her, only to crash on the ground next to her. She stood looking down at him.

"Rematch, tomorrow, Huckleberry?" she asked, offering her hand to help him up.

"I'm bringing the rope next time," he warned, dusting himself off. She scoffed.

"I'd like to see you try."

And they were off to class, leaving bewildered onlookers behind.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	337. Day 337 Dec 2nd - Change

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN**

 **DECEMBER 2ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Change" _[one day]_

She wasn't herself that day, she knew that now. None of them were more surprised than she was. Mostly no one... Second below her, to her surprise, had been Lucas.

It was strange enough already, all that was happening, but then he had been there, getting so beyond himself, trying to get her to see what she was doing. It wasn't until later, when it was all over, that she really got to appreciate what it could mean for her, to have him see her through all that, to try so hard to get her to come back.

But then that was who he was, wasn't it? He was the one who they looked up to for a reason. And she looked up to him...

He hadn't been rattled, not like her. She never thought she would be so easy to get charmed by a change in look, in perspective. He had reminded her of who she was, in the end maybe not in the way he would have intended. But he'd done it, and she didn't know that he really knew how much it had meant to her.

Maybe the best thing she could do was be herself from now on, to let him see that she knew who she was, and she would try her best never to forget it again, knowing that if she did, he would be there.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	338. Day 338 Dec 3rd - Weird

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT**

 **DECEMBER 3RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Weird" _[one day]_

When he'd been getting to know her, when she'd still been new in his life, she could come off as almost weird. This was not a bad thing, by any means. She stood out.

Being weird would be to stand out, really, for better or for worse. Maya had a way about her, going through the world, and it had taken a while for him to be able to put it all into words.

It came down to her, how she existed in the life around her. She was her own person, and she was confident in this, didn't hesitate, and he knew it was as she wanted it. She made the rules for how people responded to her in the way she behaved. She brought some nearer, but she also pushed others away, in any way that would make her feel she had control of her situation.

It would be to be strange if it was leaving her with the power she needed. Once he bad seen this, for as much as he had grown close to her, it had turned her into a new person, one he cared for more than even the one he had first come to know. He didn't want her to have to lose who she needed to be around him. He liked her just as she was, an oddly wonderful friend.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	339. Day 339 Dec 4th - Youth

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-NINE**

 **DECEMBER 4TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Youth" _[one day]_

Every so often they would be reminded how they had not grown up together as much as with others in their life. It could get to a point where they would forget.

They were so integral to one another's lives, it might have been that they had always been there. They could see those days of the past, imagine who they would have been to each other, and in a lot of ways it wasn't so different that they couldn't recognize themselves in those memories. He would always be Huckleberry, and she would always be the partner to his games.

They could imagine it all, but of course it hadn't happened, not really. They had come into one another's lives as near to ready made as they could get. Still, the rapidity with which they had been bonded made them regret those missing years.

And as they would go on growing side by side, growing closer to one another, it would become a different kind of question, where they only wanted to have always known each other. Failing that, they had to appreciate the youth they did have to look back on, those early years, of bonding, of friendship, of new feelings to discover.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	340. Day 340 Dec 5th - Choices 1

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY**

 **DECEMBER 5TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Choices" _[four days] part 1 of 4_

They had made it to where they had gotten, all by the virtue of the choices they had made. There was a strong dose of life, of events beyond their control, yes, but they could hold to the belief that none of those would have carried any weight without their own personal choices.

Lucas would have quickly volunteered their being in the same school as the very first curve to bring their two paths together. He may not have known that it would lead him to her, but there had been a moment, a choice, where he had been presented with a trio of potential schools for him to transfer to, following his expulsion.

As clueless as that decision had been, it had put him on that one train, that one morning, and that train had taken him he had chosen... her school. He didn't know for certain that he wouldn't have met her anyway but it would have been much more likely. Even if they had met, going to two different schools, they would not have been the same people to each other.

It felt like such an insignificant moment at the time, but looking back now... Choosing that school had given him all the chances that came after, in knowing her.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	341. Day 341 Dec 6th - Choices 2

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-ONE**

 **DECEMBER 6TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Choices" _[four days] part 2 of 4_

She couldn't say whether she assigned it as choice or not, but there had been a moment, just when they'd first met, where she could have seen their timeline following a whole other path if she'd only... if he had, if they...

All those ifs, and yet she knew that as pivotal as that moment had been, the real choices had come later, and more than once. There had been a choice, time and again, to hold back, once she'd realized how she felt... started to realize.

Every time she had looked at him and felt something inside her tug her toward him, every time his voice stopped her in her tracks, every time... every time he stood close to her and she could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

Every time the moment came and she did nothing, those were the choices she really felt, the ones she knew belonged entirely to her.

In time, it wouldn't matter anymore, not really. They would have made the turn she'd been unable to make before, and all those steps back would be little more than delays from the one step forward she'd needed to make. It was the one choice that would always matter the most for him and her.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	342. Day 342 Dec 7th - Choices 3

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO**

 **DECEMBER 7TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Choices" _[four days] part 3 of 4_

He had kissed her that first time and... he would tell her he hadn't meant to do it, not in that way, but deep down he knew... It had been in his mind for days... weeks.

He had been going around with only that thought in his mind, of kissing Maya Hart. How could he not? She was his friend, but she was something else, too, and he knew what it would mean if he made that move. There would be no going back, no matter what he did.

Then that moment had come, and it had all needed to play itself out in a matter of two seconds tops. He'd been looking at her, he needed to do something, and of all the choices he might have had at his disposal, the one he'd made was the one thing he could think of, all those weeks.

It had come to him one second and he'd taken it in stride the next. Only after he'd done it, and he got a look at her face, did he understand he had actually gone for it.

But it was just as he'd said, wasn't it? No matter what he said to justify himself, it would never change the fact that he had now kissed her. They had kissed. What would come of it wouldn't immediately show itself, but it would have been set in motion by his choice.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	343. Day 343 Dec 8th - Choices 4

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-THREE**

 **DECEMBER 8TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Choices" _[four days] part 4 of 4_

The next biggest choice they'd had to make had come as they had called each other boyfriend and girlfriend for some time already, and this choice, it could have brought it all to a stop. Their future was there, waiting for them. They each had to decide which way to go, and each one could have been right, but not all of them meant that they would be in the same place.

What if they made their choice and it was the wrong one, the one they'd regret? What if the right one was the one that sent them in opposite directions? It had come remarkably close to being that, too. But when it had all been said and done, they knew they would not be separated, and better still, they would have many more opportunities to make choices again, together.

And for all their concerns, about right and wrong, about regrets, in time they would see they had made the right choice, their right choice. They also came to see that when it came to the two of them, any decision that stood to affect the both of them would continue to carry the weight, growing more and more, of each of those previous turns, twisting them closer together.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	344. Day 344 Dec 9th - Door

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR**

 **DECEMBER 9TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Door" _[one day]_

He didn't know how long he stood outside her apartment door, trying to give it a knock. What did he have to worry about? He'd met her mother before, her stepdad, too. He liked them, and he was pretty sure they liked him, too. But today... today he was going in there as their daughter's boyfriend.

What if they gave him the big talk, the 'if you hurt her,' or 'what are your intentions?' talk? He felt is nerves get more and more tense. It was silly, right? He was going to be fine, everything was...

His phone gave a shrill tone and he startled.

"He's outside, isn't he?" he heard a man's voice from inside. When had his mouth gone so dry? Was it too late to run?

"Stay, no, go back, go..." Maya's voice sounded halfway exasperated and amused, coming on, too, but it kept him in place, and when she opened the door, he was sure he must have looked spooked.

She smirked, and he felt just a little less caught. Looking past her, there was Shawn, giving the best Dad face Lucas had been subjected to.

"You'll be fine," Maya snatched up his hand and pulled him inside, away from his safe zone outside the door. "Really," Maya promised. "Hey, look at me." He did. "You're here, and that's all I need to know." She smiled, and with a breath, he smiled back.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	345. Day 345 Dec 10th - Mighty

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIVE**

 **DECEMBER 10TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Mighty" _[one day]_

The moment they came to the door of their apartment, the first time as husband and wife, he knew he wanted to do things as he'd seen them done. He wanted to carry her over the threshold.

When he picked her up, as swiftly as he'd done since they were in middle school, she had laughed, and he had carried her through, into their home. When he went to put her down however, she refused. She wanted to stay just as she was. He was all too happy to oblige, and for the next long while - he didn't look at the time, though she informed him it had been just over an hour - he went around with her draped over his back.

She would laugh, or tell him what to do next. He made himself a snack, gave her some over his shoulder, earning her many a bird-like nickname from that day on.

When he finally put her down, he declared he could have kept on going all day, and she had given him an indulgent nod. He didn't feel as though he was lying. The way he felt, having become her husband, he knew he could have gone on and on, never setting her on her feet, his strength made bolder for the love of her.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	346. Day 346 Dec 11th - Paint 1

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SIX**

 **DECEMBER 11TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Paint" _[five days] part 1 of 5_

It had started years ago, and when the day came, when their little Patrick turned two, they could hardly believe they were here carrying on the tradition once more. Their little Emily was fifteen, Lizzie just ten, and Thomas was seven now... All three had excitedly set about their little brother, bringing him to the table where Maya and Lucas and waited, all set to start.

The plate was wide, and for now it was blank. Holding the birthday boy, Maya watched as each of the others did their bit. Emily drew an elephant - Patrick loved them, as he did lions, which was what Lizzie added. Thomas added a wide banner in green, on top of which Lucas traced the boy's name. With Patrick still balanced in her arms, Maya traced long blades of grass, fluffy clouds and a yellow sun.

"Okay, now your turn," she spoke at his ear. He was giddy, always, but she managed to dip his hands in the paint, pressing them to the space left blank for him in the middle. When his hands were removed, the finished product had him clapping his hands, the paint spreading over his arms, and his mother's arms. The plate would be left to dry, before it could join the others.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	347. Day 347 Dec 12th - Paint 2

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN**

 **DECEMBER 12TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Paint" _[five days] part 2 of 5_

Five years before, it had been on Thomas' second birthday that it had officially felt like a tradition, though at the time they had no clue they might someday repeat it. With a ten-year-old Emily and five-year-old Lizzie, they had set about painting the plate.

Thomas, the birthday boy, had been asleep in Maya's arms the whole time, with her humming his favorite lullaby. She'd watched Emily draw out a dolphin, Lizzie a frog. Lucas painted Thomas' name over a yellow banner. Maya put in an ocean scene, calm as ever, while the girls argued as to whether or not they should wake their brother yet. Lucas had to convince them to leave him be.

When the last part needed Thomas' participation, Maya would not have them wake him either, and it wasn't until an hour later that her call beckoned them back. Quiet little Thomas looked uncertain to put his hands in the paint, but his sisters did it, his father did it, so finally he did it, too, and his handprints were made in the space of his plate. Lucas' shirt would become marked with the girls' hands as they laughed and hugged him.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	348. Day 348 Dec 13th - Paint 3

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT**

 **DECEMBER 13TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Paint" _[five days] part 3 of 5_

And three years before that, on Lizzie's second birthday, it had been on seven-year-old Emily's insistence that they'd gone about painting a plate for her little sister, too. She'd been looking at her own for so long, it was only fair.

So they had gathered, the four of them at the table, Lizzie keeping an attentive eye on the proceedings but never moving from her mother's embrace. With her father's assistance, a colorful garden of flowers had bloomed over the plate. At every new little flower, Lucas would draw a green line, Emily would look up at the colors, take her time, then select the next one.

Maya had traced a violet banner for Lizzie's name. For so long, they had been hopping from one diminutive to another, Liz, Ellie, Beth... But Lizzie had always stuck better to her, and they could see it. Her hands were dipped in green, planted there in the garden they had made her.

She sat there, looking at the painted plate, and she looked happy to see it, her green fingers stuck to her cheeks. Maya had added little flowers to those stems, making her squirm and smile... A picture of her would soon sit in her father's wallet, with those flowery cheeks.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	349. Day 349 Dec 14th - Paint 4

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINE**

 **DECEMBER 14TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Paint" _[five days] part 4 of 5_

Five years before, days before their daughter's second birthday, Maya had bought a wide white plate. It had long been a shared activity of theirs to paint with their fingers. The project would be perfect, and on her birthday, they'd sat there, Emily balanced in her lap. Lucas had painted a dog, Maya a fish. It would have been just like her, wouldn't it, to mix those two.

Somewhere down the middle, the scene would shift from grass to sea, a red border at the top holding their girl's name. Hands pressed in white paint completed the image. For however long they had watched her stare at her mother's work, this was going to be her favorite. It had been made for her, and by her.

How she could have grown so much, so fast, was almost impossible to believe. But they knew already that she had her mother's love for creation. Whether it would reveal itself in art, in music, anything, they would have to wait and see, but they awaited it eagerly. Every day they found new ways of being proud of her, this child of theirs. As unexpected as she'd been, in many ways she remained that.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	350. Day 350 Dec 15th - Paint 5

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY**

 **DECEMBER 15TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Paint" _[five days] part 5 of 5_

Four plates now hung on their bedroom wall. Looking at them, they could both remember as clear as ever the times when they had been made. And in many ways that had been their purpose, hadn't it? It felt impossible that thirteen years had gone since Emily's plate. Now she was a young woman more than a girl, and it would catch them off guard.

But on that plate she was still and would always be two years old. No matter how much time went by, they would have these moments captured and kept. No masterpiece would ever be as great as those girls and boys in their eyes. They had been expanding in the love they believed themselves to give.

And as chaotic as their home could sometimes feel, in no time would they ever want a change. Those plates, painted with care, showed this progression, each one made with one more set of hands, from the three on Emily's to the six on Patrick's. They in no way envisioned a fifth plate or any others joining these four, but whatever came, they had a good and loving home and people just as eager as ever to grab paint and a brush.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	351. Day 351 Dec 16th - Music 1

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE**

 **DECEMBER 16TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Music" _[two days] part 1 of 2_

He would hear her sometimes, couldn't even see her, but then there'd be a him, and he couldn't help it, he would smile. It felt to him she was at her most calm, and peaceful, when she could just let those distracted little notes escape her. She was a great artist, and it was all part of her, but he knew beneath it all she had the music, too. It made her happy in its own way, separate from everything else. He guessed it had something of an escape element to it, like art did, taking her somewhere else, but it was different, he knew.

And when Mr Matthews asked if any of them might want to join a group of carol singers for the school, Lucas had turned to Maya, giving her a pointed look. She frowned, refusing what he suggested. He snuck a text.

"I will if you will."

That had gotten her curiosity, he could see it, and when she raised her hand, she did it while looking right at him. So he casually raised his hand, too, looking at her. Just like that, they were in. He didn't particularly see himself as being an asset to the group here, but he didn't care. She might never have done this on her own. Now she had, and she was smiling.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	352. Day 352 Dec 17th - Music 2

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-TWO**

 **DECEMBER 17TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Music" _[two days] part 2 of 2_

She had gone into this telling herself it would be corny more than anything, but before long she had discovered she was not bored in the slightest. Standing there with the others, singing, filling the halls with music, she actually felt good, like she had never appreciated those songs so much as she did now.

And then she would have Lucas' voice, just at her ear as he stood behind her, not the greatest of singing voices, but the determination he pushed that voice with only left her more energized, amused, and she would find she was keeping harmony with him more than the rest of the group.

This had all been his idea, and she had no idea what had possessed him to do it but she was kind of glad for it. Whether she would go so far as to tell him this, now that was another thing. For the time being she would bask in this feeling, in the music surrounding them. Nothing could or would go wrong as long as they were here.

And maybe, deep down, she would feel that she wanted to live this again, now or in the future. They could do it all again next year, and the one after that, and any year after as they saw fit.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	353. Day 353 Dec 18th - Secretary

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE**

 **DECEMBER 18TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Secretary" _[one day]_

Maya never exactly saw herself taking part in student government, but she guessed it could have its merits, getting to tell people what to do. Then there was the Lucas of it all. He wanted her to be his Secretary of State, whatever that was. What she kept in mind was what she'd been told. He thought highly of her.

It didn't mean as much as she might have thought, not until it had been going over and over through her mind. It was only student government, sure, but this was Lucas Friar, and she knew he wouldn't be the kind of person to take things like that lightly. Out of anyone he could have considered, he had chosen her.

They were friends, that could play into it, but then so could a lot of things. For her, to know that she existed as this respectable sort of person in his mind, it gave her this sort of pride she found to be invaluable.

She had every intention now to honor that feeling. Maybe she wouldn't enjoy the task all the time, but she wouldn't treat it in any way disrespectful to the choice Lucas had made. If she got to boss people around, well, that'd just be bonus.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	354. Day 354 Dec 19th - Need

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR**

 **DECEMBER 19TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Need" _[one day]_

He was in her life now so deeply, and to consider the possibility of him not being there... It felt so wrong. She needed him in her life, in all the ways she could have. He was friendship, he was family, and support, and confidence, he was... love.

She didn't remember what it was like not having him there, before they'd met, and she was glad for it. She didn't want to go back there. People changed people, that was what Mr. Matthews had taught them, and she knew she had been changed by many things, many people, and one of them had been him.

When she stopped now and looked at him, soon to be her husband... It all came boiling up all over again. She needed him as any one person would ever need another. He had become that important to her, and she knew that it didn't matter that the changes of life would keep on coming, and she would keep on evolving. She would never stop needing him, just like she knew he would always need her, too.

They had made it here, two people who so needed others, who understood that need in one another, who nurtured it with all the care that it deserved.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	355. Day 355 Dec 20th - Effort

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE**

 **DECEMBER 20TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Effort" _[one day]_

They would discover within themselves this strength, that seemed to be fed solely on each other's input. They tried harder, took chances they might never have done otherwise. They didn't understand it so openly, but it was there. The efforts they made demanded of that great strength.

They would waver at times, but when those moments came they would not stay. All they needed was for the other to step in, with a word, a look, a touch... It was right, that they never had to question it. The bond that existed there between them didn't need questions. It had been grown out of all those past tries, those efforts.

Every stumble, every jump, win, lose... It pushed them onward, and it would continue to, couldn't stop. Even in absence of the other, they would carry that drive in them, but they would always be better together. They brought that out in each other, a flame stoked into a blaze, and that blaze would rage on so long as it had heat in it.

This was going to be who they were. It was the kind of people they were, with so much drive but also that terrible doubt that could stop them trying, if not for one to push.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	356. Day 356 Dec 21st - Expect

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SIX**

 **DECEMBER 21ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Expect" _[one day]_

The first few weeks after they had learned they would have a baby, it had all been one big mess of confusion, and adjustments. They were still newlyweds, but now here was something else, something so much bigger. A lot of it they had to guess was any first-time parents would feel, the stress, the uncertainty, wondering if they could do this, be good to this child.

Then there were deeper grounded fears, of the two of them, specifically, as parents, after all they'd had in their past. But it wasn't the greatest weight. Greater yet was the mass of feelings that amounted to happiness. Happiness, anticipation, joy, for the arrival of this little boy or girl, whoever it would be, coming along and making them a family.

Once the uncertainty had cleared away, it was all they could see, the potential of it all. The scales had tipped, and for sure there were bound to be moments when they still felt insecure, but it would only pass. What they'd be left with would be what they'd always had, from the moment they learned their child was on its way. They were a family, and they fought hard for it, whatever would come.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	357. Day 357 Dec 22nd - Potential 1

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN**

 **DECEMBER 22ND 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Potential" _[four days] part 1 of 4_

When she'd seen him in the store, she'd had to have him, to go stop their tree. She'd shown him to Lucas, pushing the box at him and declaring that this was just what they needed. It would go on top of their tree, this jolly looking Santa, every year. It would be something their little girl - months from being born but growing day by day - would look to fondly whenever they pulled it out of storage, her and any other children who might come along.

She could picture it all, in the face of that Santa topper. They were just in this time where it felt like they should have been making memories, building traditions. Lucas looked at those two faces, the rosy cheeked Santa, and his radiantly excited wife, and he was starting to see it, too.

So they bought the tree topper, and they took him home, but they didn't put him up, not yet, not this year. Next year, when their daughter was with them, then they would put the topper up there. Small as she would be, they would share this moment with her, their first Christmas as a family, looking for countless more of those holidays yet to come.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	358. Day 358 Dec 23rd - Potential 2

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-EIGHT**

 **DECEMBER 23RD 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Potential" _[four days] part 2 of 4_

When he opened the box, Emily squealed. He was right there, the little Santa man that would go on top of the Christmas tree. For as long as she could remember, he had been there and this year, because she was four and so grown up, she would be given the responsibility to place him in his spot. Her father would hoist her on top of his shoulders, and very carefully she would be able to set Santa down.

"Is he good? Ready to come down?" her father would ask. And then she'd look and see her mother, remember how high off the ground she was and beg to be put down.

"Santa's brave," she declared, looking up.

"Is he?" her mother asked. "Why's that?"

"He's not scared," Emily pointed to him.

Every day that would pass, she would look up with unwavering pride in the figure, as though he was real. To her, he might as well have been the real deal. It would get to the point where, when the tree was ready to be unmade and he had been pulled from the top, Emily had taken Santa and run to hide him in her room.

Of course her mother had found him and put him back in the box. To Emily, the only logical explanation was of course that the magic man had disappeared on his own, back where he belonged.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	359. Day 359 Dec 24th - Potential 3

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE**

 **DECEMBER 24TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Potential" _[four days] part 3 of 4_

As much as Emily loved Santa, the one on top of their tree or anywhere else, Lizzie had been afraid of him. She would be excited to see him, right up until she actually saw him... It got to the point where they briefly had to consider retiring the Santa topper in favor of one that wouldn't frighten her so much.

When she had found out, Emily had been crushed, as much as her parents, whether she noticed it or not. They all loved him, even Thomas, even if he was only a year old.

What had started to turn things around, saving their jolly topper's position, had come in Lucas and Maya sharing the story of how they had found and bought the figure. Emily was nine now, and she knew he wasn't real, but she wanted her little sister to be able to believe like she had. She had gone so far as to recruit her Grandfather Shawn, the two of them mounting a scheme to defeat Lizzie's fear.

It had been hard, but soon they had been successful, and Lizzie had had her turn, being raised up by her grandfather to set the Santa topper over their tree. From that moment on, she was never scared of him again.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	360. Day 360 Dec 25th - Potential 4

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY**

 **DECEMBER 25TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Potential" _[four days] part 4 of 4_

Every year, when they would pack all the decorations away, it would come down to the two of them, while the kids were off to play. When all that would be left would be their old Santa, they would look at that box for a moment, thinking back to the day they had found him.

Twenty years and nineteen Christmases, this one maybe the last with all of them living under the same roof, and the children might have found it impossible to imagine what it all felt like to them.

They looked to their Emily, not yet born when the topper had been brought into the house, now eighteen years old. All of them were growing, down to their Patrick, already five years old. He had been the one to set Santa in his spot this year, and they had all cheered him on.

They looked at the tattered box as they laid it with the rest of the decorations, and they thought of so many more years, of their old Santa continuing to see their family grow. They imagined others joining them, as impossible as it still seemed, of grandchildren.

They would continue to look at their Santa as a symbol of things past as much as things yet to come. Anything could happen and whatever it was, they would be ready. It always started with the jolly man.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	361. Day 361 Dec 26th - Denial

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE**

 **DECEMBER 26TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Denial" _[one day]_

She didn't want to be that girl anymore, the one who'd been so frightened by her feelings for someone that she'd gone and tried to convince herself they didn't exist. Maybe it would be like a resolution, even if it wasn't New Year's yet. It would be hard; it always was. But she had spent so long fighting it, and now she was just... tired.

She didn't want that for herself anymore. She had happiness in her life, proper joy, and she was done denying herself. She'd had every reason to be afraid before, and no one could blame her. Lucas made her happy, in ways no one else could.

And it was scary, but also exhilarating in a way. So that was going to be her life from here on out. No more pretending, no more hiding. She, Maya Hart, liked Lucas Friar... she liked him very much. She liked him as a friend, yes, but there was something else, too, and there had been for a while, whether she'd dared to say it or not.

Now she would dare. Now she would speak. They would know, because if it wasn't enough that she liked him, she knew, and they knew, that he liked her, too. Staying hidden now, well... It almost seemed silly.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	362. Day 362 Dec 27th - Happy 1

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO**

 **DECEMBER 27TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Happy" _[five days] part 1 of 5_

For as long as they had known each other, they had found themselves in a world bordering on magical. The power behind this magic resided in little more than a vivid imagination. Nowadays, they were at a place in their lives they could freely refer to as happy. They had grown somewhere into what might be called adulthood, a responsible one at that.

As much as that might have been the case, they had never forgotten the people they had been before. They both recalled those kids, the new boy at school, the angry girl who teased him... They thought about them a lot, so much so that one day it felt as though they could see them, right there, standing before them.

They felt so impossibly small, and yet they knew them, as deeply as one could ever know himself or herself. They could easily look at them and hear them, and talk to them as though they were real, separate entities.

"Never tell my mother about this, she'll think I've lost it," Maya muttered to him.

"I won't if you don't tell mine."

"You don't think that's..." young Lucas turned to the young Maya next to him.

"Well, he looks like a Huckleberry to me."

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	363. Day 363 Dec 28th - Happy 2

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-THREE**

 **DECEMBER 28TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Happy" _[five days] part 2 of 5_

The boy he saw standing before him seemed impossibly small. In a way it felt like he forgot having been this way, and smaller.

"I've forgotten a lot of things about you," he admitted to his younger self.

"What kinds of things?" the boy asked, as though there could be nothing more normal than a conversation like this.

"You just got here. You hadn't met her, any of them... They're going to change you. They'll make you better. And her..." he smiled, looking at the young Maya. "She's going to become the best part of your day, every day, as soon as you let her in. All those things you still keep hidden, because you don't want them to look at you like they did back in Texas, you'll share them with her. And she'll open up to you, too. Just be there for her... like I always tried to be. And you, right now, I know you miss your home, your friends. But you'll be okay here, better than okay. You'll make a new home, lifelong friends. You came here, you wanted to make a change. You'll get there."

The boy looked back at him, a small smile on his face that Lucas still felt rise on his own face every so often, a smile of cautious optimism.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	364. Day 364 Dec 29th - Happy 3

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR**

 **DECEMBER 29TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Happy" _[five days] part 3 of 5_

Maya looked at that young girl, looking around herself distractedly, and she could see right into her head, her thoughts far gone but just too familiar to her not to feel called to her. She felt those emotions she hid so well most times, the ones she didn't feel anymore, never wanted to feel again.

"Hey, look at me," she called to the girl. Her head whipped around, sizing her up as blatantly as anything. "You don't need to give me that look, okay. I'm you, see?"

"We're not getting any taller than that?" the girl asked, and Maya chuckled. "Who's he?" the girl asked, staring at Lucas.

"He's... Ranger Rick, he's Lucas the Good," Maya told her, and the girl looked from him to the boy at her side. "He's more than that already, whether you know it or not. Just like you are."

There it was, that look in her eyes. She could have cried. She wanted to hold her.

"You'll be alright. It doesn't seem that way yet, you think... hope is for suckers. Look at me. As hard as it is to believe, to trust... There's all the happiness you could need, already within your reach, you just... need to let yourself see it. You will see it. He'll be there through it all," she told the girl, as she looked to the boy with the golden smile.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	365. Day 365 Dec 30th - Happy 4

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE**

 **DECEMBER 30TH 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Happy" _[five days] part 4 of 5_

He still looked like himself. She could see it in him. The boy had grown into the man at her side, but one look at him, and she could remember it all, as clear almost as she did when she looked at the girl that she had been.

"Hey, Huckleberry," she called at him with a chuckle.

When he looked at her, it was so strange, those old feelings he had brought out in her, they were still a part of him, as he now existed at her side, but back then... they were the most unexpected, life altering feelings she'd had since she'd met Riley Matthews.

"It's going to take me a while to get to you, but I promise... I am on my way. I play a lot of confidence, but I know you'll see in time I'm a lot slower underneath. And you... you're going to make it worthwhile. That one," she nodded to the girl, "She's not going to make it easy on you. I'm sorry for what she'll put you through... a bit," she smirked. "You'll get through it, same way you always did, just for being... you."

She looked at him, her Lucas. She reached for his hand, held it tight. He looked at her face, the smile so strong on her. Then he looked at the girl, the person before... everything.

* * *

 _See you tomorrow! - mooners_


	366. Day 366 Dec 31st - Happy 5

**DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX**

 **DECEMBER 31ST 2016**

 **PROMPT:** "Happy" _[five days] part 5 of 5_

He remembered exactly the moment she had come into his life. He knew for sure she had looked just this way. He would have thought it had all gone, but one look at her, and he heard nicknames, and trilled shudders, and chaotic ha-hurrs. He saw the girl with so much energy bursting from her that when she was around his heart felt unable to sit still.

"I think if I'd known you before I could have been better even then. I wouldn't have been who I was before, but it got me here, so something good came out of it, too."

He hadn't understood all that she was going through back then, not the way he did now. He saw her now, and however strong he'd found her then, now... She was nothing short of superhuman, still was.

"You know, they look like shrimps, yeah?" Maya told him, making him laugh.

The girl and boy frowned, but still they looked back at them, and knowing what awaited them, they smiled, and then they were gone.

Lucas looked back to Maya, and the way she looked at him, he knew that girl and boy were on her mind as much as they were on his. They were the past, and they were cherished. They had known happiness then, but never near as much as the moment their paths first crossed, merged for life.

* * *

 _Final day for the Lucaya Project 2016..._

 _ **Check in tomorrow for the beginning of THE LUCAYA PROJECT 2017! :D**_


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